User:KeeLgd/Deforestation and climate change

= Article Draft =

Lead
Deforestation is a primary contributor to climate change, and climate change affects forests.

My Edits:


 * Add link of definition/ Wiki page for the word climate change. There is one for deforestation but not for the other main topic in this article.

Land use changes, especially in the form of deforestation, are the second largest anthropogenic source of atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions, after fossil fuel combustion. Greenhouse gases are emitted during combustion of forest biomass and decomposition of remaining plant material and soil carbon. Global models and national greenhouse gas inventories give similar results for deforestation emissions. As of 2019, deforestation is responsible for about 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon emissions from tropical deforestation are accelerating. Growing forests are a carbon sink with additional potential to mitigate the effects of climate change. Some of the effects of climate change, such as more wildfires, may increase deforestation.


 * Replace sentence "Some of the effects of climate change, such as more wildfires, may increase deforestation." with "Some of the effects of climate change, such as wildfires, insect outbreaks, invasive species, and storms are factors that increase deforestation .

Deforestation comes in many forms: wildfire, agricultural clearcutting, livestock ranching, and logging for timber, among others. The vast majority of agricultural activity resulting in deforestation is subsidized by government tax revenue. Forests cover 31% of the land area on Earth and annually 75,700 square kilometers (18.7 million acres) of the forest is lost. According to the World Resources Institute, there was a 12% increase in the loss of primary tropical forests from 2019 to 2020. Mass deforestation continues to threaten tropical forests, their biodiversity, and the ecosystem services they provide. The main area of concern of deforestation is in tropical rain forests since they are home to the majority of the planet's biodiversity. The more trees that are removed equals larger effects of climate change which, in turn, results in the loss of more trees.[citation needed]
 * Remove sentence "The vast majority of agricultural activity resulting in deforestation is subsidized by government tax revenue". Is irrelevant to the topic.
 * Replace sentence " Mass deforestation continues to threaten tropical forests, their biodiversity, and the ecosystem services they provide." with "Mass deforestation continues to threaten a variety of forests, their biodiversity, and the ecosystems they provide." Only stating tropical forests can be too specific and should instead be dedicated to a separate subcategory. Only stating one category of forest can make the reader think that it is not global/happening where they live.
 * Add sentence "Other effects caused by climate change and deforestation reacting together are soil erosion, water scarcity/flooding, and low mortality rates in specific regions.
 * Add sentence "Solutions to slow down or potentially eliminate these issues are reforestation, afforestation, and agricultural change which could be funded by projects such as The Amazon Fund and UHN goals.


 * Add citation

Livestock ranching
Livestock ranching requires large portions of land to raise herds of animals and livestock crops for consumer needs. According to the World Wildlife Fund, "Extensive cattle ranching is the number one culprit of deforestation in virtually every Amazon country, and it accounts for 80% of current deforestation." Livestock ranching was established in Tejas at the time of the Spanish Missions, between 1820 and 1865 and was mainly driven by Mexican cowboys. Later, when the missions were closed and the priests and soldiers abandoned the area but leaving the cattle behind, the task was taken up by private citizens. After the Civil War, Texans began rounding up the cattle and selling northward to states such as Kansas and Illinois. According to Greenpeace, a non-governmental global environmental organization, the cattle industry is responsible for a significant amount of methane emissions since 60% of all mammals on earth are livestock cows. Replacing forest land with pastures creates a loss of forest stock, which leads to the implication of increased greenhouse gas emissions by burning agriculture methodologies and land-use change.

My Edits:


 * Fix spell correction "Livestock ranching was established in Tejas at the time of the Spanish Missions, between 1820 and 1865 and was mainly driven by Mexican cowboys." to '"Livestock ranching was established in Texas at the time of the Spanish Missions, between 1820 and 1865 and was mainly driven by Mexican cowboys.".
 * Remove sentence "After the Civil War, Texans began rounding up the cattle and selling northward to states such as Kansas and Illinois". Seems unnecessary since the creation of how livestock ranching was explained and how when the cattle would migrate with the Texans, they would leave behind empty land. Would recommend combining sentence "Later, when the missions were closed and the priests and soldiers abandoned the area but leaving the cattle behind, the task was taken up by private citizens." with sentence " After the Civil War, Texans began rounding up the cattle and selling northward to states such as Kansas and Illinois.". Replace with "When the missions closed cattle was abandoned and private citizens took on the responsibility. On occasions when cattle were rounded up and migrated with the Texans empty land was left behind."

Causes of deforestation
Most deforestation also occurs in tropical regions. However, studies have shown that non-tropical forests will also see consequences from deforestation， as new pressures from climate change will warm areas that were once uninhabitable or too frigid to be arable. The estimated amount of total land mass used by agriculture is around 38%. The main drivers of deforestation in relation to agriculture are population growth and the increased pressures for agricultural expansion. Deforestation is linked with CO2 emissions, in part due from crops having a relatively less impressive carbon storage per unit area than wooded areas or forests. Agricultural deforestation can take different forms, the most salient of which are the commercial plantations in tropical regions.

My Edits:
 * Remove sentence "However, studies have shown that non-tropical forests will also see consequences from deforestation, as new pressures from climate change will warm areas that were once uninhabitable or too frigid to be arable." Seems random when we start reading about agriculture expansion and suddenly change to a topic of the effect that climate change has on the environment. Would move this sentence to the subcategory of climate change.

Effects of deforestation
Biophysical mechanisms by which forests influence climate According to a review, north of 50°N, large scale deforestation leads to an overall net global cooling while tropical deforestation leads to substantial warming not just due to CO2 impacts but also due to other biophysical mechanisms (making carbon-centric metrics inadequate). Irreversible deforestation would result in a permanent rise in the global surface temperature. Moreover, it suggests that standing tropical forests help cool the average global temperature by more than 1 °C.

Deforestation of tropical forests may risk triggering tipping points in the climate system and of forest ecosystem collapse which would also have effects on climate change.

My Edits:
 * I think that a lot of information featured in the Causes of deforestation category can be moved into this one instead. If the information is not moved, then combine both the Causes of deforestation and Effects of deforestation categories together to create "Causes and effects of deforestation. Both categories talk about how a certain action causes deforestation as well as the result is has on the environment and people. Might as well combine them and make subcategories of each action.

Human dimension of deforestation and climate change
Deforestation is often described as the changing of land from forested to non-forested by means both natural and unnatural. The relationship between deforestation and climate change is one of a positive feedback loop. The more trees that are removed equals larger effects of climate change which, in turn, results in the loss of more trees.[citation needed] In recent history, this process has been accelerated and amplified by humans in many different ways. These include logging, urbanization, mining, and agricultural development.[citation needed] One of the more recent and bigger consequences of deforestation is wildfires, which leads to greater harm to humans and animals. Fires release carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides that affect air quality and animal and human health. The incessant need to expand these operations has resulted in widespread deforestation worldwide.

Agricultural
Agricultural expansion is one of the worst offenders when it comes to deforestation in recent times. Since 1960, roughly 15% of the Amazon has been removed with the intention of replacing the land with agricultural practices. In Bolivia specifically, the jungle has been wiped out in order to house cattle and other valuable agricultural items by means of 'fishbone deforestation'.[better source needed]Fishbone is in reference to the visual aesthetic of the scarred land and how it branches off from the roadside in straight lines. This style of deforestation has proven to be fast-moving and efficient while tearing apart the land that humans, plants, and animals all inhabit. It is no coincidence that Brazil has recently become the world's largest beef exporter at the same time that the Amazon rainforest is being clear cut.

My Edits: The category Human dimension of deforestation and climate change as well as the subcategory Agriculture (listed under Human dimension) have already been discussed earlier in the article. Should we consider removing some of the information in the Causes of deforestation, Agricultural expansion and replace it with the information in this category? Agricultural expansion is talked about a lot and should only be in one place in this article so that it doesn't seem like it's the only factor to deforestation and doesn't overpower the others. Some of the information stated towards the end of this article becomes redundant.
 * This category and subcategory has already been discussed earlier in the article. Remove some of the information in the Causes of deforestation, Agricultural expansion and replace it with the information in this category. Agricultural expansion is talked about a lot and should only be in one place in this article so that it doesn't seem like it's the only factor to deforestation and doesn't overpower the others.