User:Malthea12/sandbox

=Scholarly Conversation=

Deforestation and Greenhouse Gases
The effects of climate change and increased greenhouse gases, both worldwide and nationally, have deeply both the environment and the well-being of populations. One natural resource that has a direct impact on the globe's climate is the many forests covering approximately 30% of the world's land. In many remote lands, the forest area provides the poor people around them "the primary energy source for heating and cooking". However, many imported meat markets are cutting down some of the world's vast forest lands, adding to the deforestation threat. This threat comes with the knowledge that forests have a direct link to the climate, since forested areas "take up atmospheric carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and store considerable amounts of carbon as woody tissue, leaves and roots. Because forest soils are typically uncultivated, substantial carbon reserves also accumulate from leaf litter and decayed roots. Reducing deforestation and increasing afforestation therefore constitute a key mechanism for constraining atmospheric GHG {greenhouse gas} emissions". The forests not only house a wide variety of biodiversity, they also impact clean air and water, and provide vitality to the poor who depend on them.