To understand profoundly the impact of deforestation on our climate we cannot but take a good look at what climate and deforestation is, this will bring us a holistic view on how one affects the other.
In this article, we want to express our concerns on how deforestation posses threats to our climate.
The long term weather pattern for a particular area sums up the climate of that area.
Weather can change from time to time (i.e from hour-to-hour, day-to-day, month-to-month or even year-to-year).
The tracking of a region’s weather pattern for a minimum of 30 years makes up for its Climate System.
Most parts of the world have different climates. This explains why some parts of the world are hot and rainy nearly every day (tropical wet climate) while others are cold and snowy most of the year described as a polar climate.
Between the ‘icy poles and the steamy tropics’ are several other climate types that contribute to earth’s biodiversity and geologic heritage.
Climate systems are made up of five major components which include:
- The atmosphere
- The hydrosphere
- The cryosphere
- The biosphere and
- The land surface
The atmosphere: is the most variable part of the climate system. It comprises of motion gases surrounding the Earth with potential to change radically, when influenced by natural and human-made factors.
In the hydrosphere: Variations here basically occur in temperature and salinity and thus happen at much slower rates than the changes that occur in the atmosphere.
The biosphere: Is the form that inhabits the sum total of living things on Earth, it significantly influences climate through activities going on within it.
One of which is photosynthetic processes, plants while making their food, help regulate the flow of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
While, forests and oceans serve as “carbon sinks” giving a cooling effect on climate.
Living organisms also contribute in the biosphere and alter landscapes, through both natural growth and created structures such as burrows, dams, and mounds.
It is these, alterations of landscapes that influence weather patterns most leading to events like – wind, erosion, and even temperature.
However, to efficiently capture the impact of deforestation on climate, we need to first define terms.
What is Deforestation?
Deforestation is the deliberate act of clearing forested land, to make space for agriculture, animal grazing, obtain wood for fuel, erect structures for either construction and production or infrastructure expansion such as road building and urbanization.
Deforestation practices is quite old and has been around for thousands of years, until recent decades where laws have been imposed to guard against indiscriminate deforestation activities.
Although tropical forests are largely confined to developing nation’s, they aren’t just meeting local or national needs.
Also Read: The Impact of Diaper Use on our Ecosystem
The Impact of deforestation on climate
Trees and forests help in the absorption and storage of carbon dioxide.
But, this is cut off when deforestation occurs, or any intense form of disturbance happens in this natural vegetation, they instead release greenhouse gases (which may result in droughts, etc.)
Global warming also occur as a result of the loss and damages of forest and account for at least 10%. This is because they absorp this toxins, shielding man from its direct impact.
Deforestation reduces the effective control trees have to influence on rainfall patterns, water and soil quality including flood prevention.
Reduction in amount of plant or tree species which could help add nutrients to the soil through teir root systems.
The impacts of deforestation on our climate destroys fungi and other micobial organism due to direct sunlight contact.
This practice also reduce the number of trees which are efficient in wind breaks exposing man to more danger.
As deforestation eliminates trees, we are exposed to more natural disasters with very little means of control e.g soil erosion.
Conclusion
It is in humans best interest to control or completely abort deforestation on forests, both to preserve the earth we live and to reduce the effect on climate.