Deforestation is the main cause of global warming. How far do you agree with this statement? Support your answer with evidence.

I disagree with this statement as there are many other causes of global warming besides Deforestation.

Explain why DEFORESTATION causes global warming 

P = Deforestation is the loss of forests due to the removal or clearance of trees in forested areas. Deforestation takes place as wood is required to make products such as paper, building materials and space is needed for mining and farming. 

E = With deforestation, there are fewer trees and plants to take in carbon dioxide, leading to an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon in the soil accumulates through the decay of organic matter like dead leaves and animals. Deforestation increases carbon oxidation in the soil to produce carbon dioxide that traps heat. 

Eg = Between 2000 to 2010, 52,000 square kilometres of forest were lost every year. The greatest loss was in South America followed by Southeast Asia. 

However, there are Other causes of global warming :

1. FOSSIL FUEL

P = Burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gases are formed from dead organic matter that has decomposed over many millions of years.

E = This will produce large amount of energy for man’s daily use and release large amount of carbon dioxide which is a greenhouse gas. 

Eg = Large consumers of fossil fuels include China, the United States of America, Canada and the United Kingdom. In 2010, global carbon dioxide emissions totaled 30.6 billion tonnes, which was 5.6 per cent increase from 2009.

2. AGRICULTURE

P = Agriculture which is the practice of cultivating land, producing crops and raising livestock.

E= This contributes to production of greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide. Organic matter such as dead leaves and manure releases huge amount of methane during rapid decomposition in the rice fields due to the high level of moisture in the soil. The use of inorganic fertilisers increases the amount nitrous oxide in soil and it is released when soil is ploughed or when rain flows through the soil. 

Eg= In rice producing countries such as China and India, million tonnes of methane are released each year from cattle ranching.  

3. NATURAL CAUSE = SOLAR OUTPUT

P = Variation in solar output is another factor causing global warming. The sun emits varying amount of solar radiation due to changes in its magnetic field. Occurrence of sunspots may cause an increase in the global temperature. 

E = Sunspots are cooler regions on the sun’s surface that appear as dark spots. The areas surrounding the sunspots will radiate more energy, which compensates for the lower temperature of the sunspot areas.

EG = example, a peak in the number of sunspots in 2000 coincided with higher solar activity.  

In conclusion, there are many causes of global warming, and deforestation is not the main cause of greenhouse gases. The other human activities also contributes to global warming with other greenhouse gases being produced besides carbon dioxide. Deforestation has also been strictly monitored by governments now to control the logging of forests for land clearance.