A Climate Changing One Tree at a Time

It's everywhere around us. You turn on CNN, and politicians are discussing climate change. You read an article in The New York Times, and a reporter is advocating ways to curb global warming. You ponder over the fate future generations, and you can't help but think about the state of the environment years from now. The earth's changing climate is a serious issue that floods the media and challenges leaders of the modern world. One of the dilemma's guiltiest culprits lies in the clearing of the world's forests: deforestation.

2015 has recently been confirmed as the hottest year on historical record, as it received the nod over a similarly hot and record-breaking 2014. With carbon dioxide emissions higher now than at any point in history, the world is facing its toughest environmental challenge yet. With a large majority of the earth's carbon dioxide emissions stemming from the burning of fossil fuels, becoming more aware of the exact effects of deforestation is of utmost importance for planning a sustainable future.

             
    This graphic is compliments of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

So what precisely is happening when our giant green buddies get chopped to the stump and burned to smithereens? One of the most negative impacts of deforestation is the large amount of carbon released into the atmosphere when trees are cut and burned. The carbon stored in these trees is released into the air as CO2, a greenhouse gas that traps heat close to the earth. When the sun's energy reaches the earth, part of the sunlight is reflected back off the surface in the form of infrared radiation. While most of the atmosphere's prominent gases, such as nitrogen and oxygen, allow infrared radiation to pass through them, other "greenhouse" gases absorb this energy and prevent it from escaping. Carbon dioxide and water vapor are two of the most prevalent greenhouse gases, with CO2 accounting for a whopping 82% of the total across the globe.

             
                                This image is provided by Charles Greene.

The buildup of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is a direct cause of global warming. It is estimated that more than 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere every year due to deforestation, making up about 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. That massive contribution is even larger than the total of gas emissions from all the world's cars and trucks, which constitutes just 14%.

To make matters worse, the carbon released from trees when they are chopped down is not the only factor contributing to the greenhouse gas effect and global warming. Forests play a vital role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to reduce the effects of excessive CO2 emissions. By taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, trees are tremendously important in maintaining a healthy carbon cycle across the planet. However, as more and more forests disappear, there is less and less natural regulation on atmospheric carbon levels.

Unfortunately, the environmental nightmare doesn't stop there. Trees also make up a critical link of the water cycle, as they release water vapor into the air and absorb rainfall. This water vapor collects in the atmosphere and falls as rain, cooling the land. Deforestation eliminates this exchange, resulting in a land surface that radiates heat and thus contributes to higher temperatures.

Through these mechanisms, deforestation is playing a critical role in global warming, and the effects are quite alarming. With temperatures rising, sea levels are expected to rise up to 3 feet by the end of the 21st century! This will only further increase flooding, the erosion of beaches, and the frequency of tropical storms. The impact of global warming reaches much further than this though, as it influences crop production, ecosystem stability, human health, and many other systems of our planet.

            
                        This photograph is courtesy of Jocelyn Augustino.

These dramatic climate changes are forcing our world to act. The damage we have done is already monumental, but it's not too late to turn things back in the right direction! The 2015 Paris Climate Conference marked a glimmer of hope in bringing nations together on a global climate agreement. The deal brought the world's developed countries to agree to limit greenhouse gas emissions. With nations struggling to actually follow through on similar treaties in the past, whether or not this deal will actually be enforced and what this will mean for deforestation are still unclear, but at least it's a step in the right direction.