Deforestation

Refer to textbook page 104 and 105 to answer question 1 and 4

You may refer to the DEFINITION of terms and words used in the textbook below to help you with your reading:

Felled
– Cut down.

Mining
– Process of extracting coal from mine (hole or tunnel dug into earth).

Grazing
– To feed on growing grass.

Infrastructure
– Basic facilities, service and installation needed for the function of a country. Example roads and bridges)

Photosynthesis
– Process by which green plants uses sunlight to produce nutrients and oxygen from carbon dioxide and water.

Agricultural activities
– Involves activities such as cultivating land, producing crops (plants) and raising farm animals.

Commercial activities
– Activities relating to selling and buying of goods and services such as production of soybean.

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Read the following text to help your group answer question 2, 3 and 5.

In 2004, 17% of the world’s greenhouse gas emission comes from deforestation. Australia is one of the country that has the highest rate of deforestation. They have cleared near 40% of their forest over the last 200 years mainly for agriculture activities such as wheat production and cattle ranching.

Carbon dioxide which is a type of greenhouse gas strongly absorbs infrared radiation (long-wave radiation) emitted from the earth’s surface and does not allow much of it to escape into space. With deforestation, there are fewer trees available to absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. In addition, carbon in exposed soil undergoes carbon oxidation (process where carbon in soil reacts with oxygen in the air) releasing carbon dioxide that adds to the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, resulting to enhanced greenhouse effect. Therefore, with higher concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it traps “excess” heat in the atmosphere leading to a rise in global temperature (global warming).

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Reference:

Bradshaw, C. J. A. (2011). Little left to lose: deforestation and forest degradation in Australia since European colonization. Retrieved from http://jpe.oxfordjournals.org/content/5/1/109.full

Climateandweather.net. (n.d.) Deforestation. Retrieved from http://www.climateandweather.net/global-warming/deforestation.html