The Deforestation Feedback Loop

 

Trees and other plants help clean the atmosphere. They ‘breathe’ in carbon dioxide and ‘breathe out’ oxygen. As parts of our world become hotter and drier, trees and plants get less of the water they need to survive. Our forests are shrinking and even dying, this is mainly happening to our rain forests. A hotter planet also means more trees burning in forest fires. The loss of forests on a large scale is called deforestation. Fewer trees on the planet means less carbon dioxide absorbed from the atmosphere and rotting and dying trees that are unable to clean the air. This results in a lot more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere means a warmer Earth. More warming means more deforestation.