Global Warming and Rainforests

How Close is the Relationship Between Global Warming and Rainforests?

(Contributed by Irina Ignatova, of tropical-rainforest-animals.com)

So what is the relationship between global warming and rainforests?

They are related in more ways than we can immediately imagine.

Global warming is a man-made climate phenomenon and is a veryserious environmental issue.

The global warming effects particularly on the rainforest ecosystems are many and wide-ranging.

For example, the lack of sufficient amounts of rainfall due to global warmingmay lead to the loss of forest cover because tropical rainforests need lots ofmoisture to thrive.

Moreover, higher temperatures cause the plants’ rates of photosynthesis todecline. This will stunt plant growth and reduce the rainforests’ capacity tosequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

As we know, carbon dioxide is the most serious agent of global warming and itsremoval from the atmosphere is important for keeping the temperature stable.

In addition to that, climate warming has an negative impact on the welfare of rainforest animals.

Warming has already been linked to the extinction of some tropical species ofamphibians, and is predicted to put many more animal species at risk of completedisappearance in the 21st century.

Ironically, tropical rainforests do not simply suffer from global warming, theymay also contribute to it.

Yes, you’ve read that correctly.

Rainforests become unwilling contributors to global warming during the processof deforestation, when large amounts of carbon dioxide are released from freshlycut or burnt trees back into the atmosphere.

So this makes deforestation one of the causes of global warming.

Whether we will be able to bring the problem of global warming under controlwill determine the future of our planet in general and rainforests in particular.

One of the ways to do it is by making green investments.

There are many other simple steps each of us can take to improve the state ofour environment.

Success may only be achieved by our collective actions.