Download Deforestation and Burning fossil Fuels

WARMUP
Describe the Greenhouse Effect.
 What gas is most linked to the Greenhouse
Effect?
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DEFORESTATION AND BURNING FOSSIL FUELS
Due to Increased Industrialization
2.6.3a
FORESTS
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Forests are vital for life, home to millions of species, they:
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Protect soil from erosion,
Produce oxygen,
Store carbon dioxide,
Help control climate
Purify the air and water we need to survive.
Forests are also vital for us to live as they provide us with
Food,
 Shelter,
 Medicines,
 Many other useful products
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DEFORESTATION
Deforestation is an important factor in global climate change.
 Climate change is because of a build up of carbon dioxide in
our atmosphere and if we carry on cutting down the main
tool we have to diminish this CO2 build up, we can expect the
climate of our planet to change dramatically over the next
decades.
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DEFORESTATION
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It is estimated that more than 1.5 billion tons of carbon
dioxide are released to the atmosphere due to deforestation,
mainly the cutting and burning of forests, every year.
FORESTS HELP KEEP THE CARBON
CYCLE IN BALANCE
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But when forests are logged or burnt, that carbon is released
into the atmosphere, increasing the amount of carbon dioxide
and other greenhouse gases and accelerating the rate of
climate change.
CARBON CYCLE
Forests play a huge role in the carbon cycle on our planet.
 When forests are cut down, not only does carbon absorption
cease, but also the carbon stored in the trees is released into
the atmosphere as CO2 if the wood is burned.
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Smaller crops e.g. plants and agricultural crops
also draw in carbon dioxide and release oxygen,
however forests store up to 100 times more carbon
than agricultural fields of the same area.
MOST OF THE WORLD'S TROPICAL FORESTS WILL
BE LOST BY THIS CENTURY'S END.
 Every year, more than 15 million hectares of tropical forest
— an area larger than the state of New York — are cut down,
releasing millions of tons of carbon emissions into the
atmosphere.
 Many of the world’s tropical forests will be lost by this
century’s end. With these forests we will lose important
species, natural resources and local livelihoods, as well as the
opportunity to slow climate change.
PROTECTING FORESTS IS ESSENTIAL TO REDUCING
GLOBAL EMISSIONS AND HALTING CLIMATE CHANGE.
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Along with fighting climate change, forest conservation
protects biodiversity and supports the livelihoods of local
communities.
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Despite the fact that deforestation is the second leading
contributor of carbon emissions worldwide after the
burning of fossil fuels, countries currently have few
incentives for preserving their forests.
BURNING FOSSIL FUELS
Coal, oil and natural gas are the three different forms of
fossil fuels that are widely used.
 Large-scale use of fossil fuels started since the Industrial
Revolution.
 Today, these are the most cheap sources of energy available
for the use of both personal as well as commercial purposes.
 Petroleum is used to fuel our vehicles while coal and natural
gas are used to produce electricity for our homes and offices.
 Statistics show that almost three-fourth of the demands of
the energy in the world is fulfilled by fossil fuels.
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GREENHOUSE EFFECT
BURNING FOSSIL FUELS
The presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere makes our
planet warmer than any other planet of the solar system.
 This is because it traps the heat obtained from sunlight and
do not let it go beyond the atmosphere.
 Burning fossil fuels releases a large amount of carbon dioxide
into the air.
 When there is a significant rise in the percentage of carbon
dioxide in the air, the amount of heat captured by the carbon
dioxide gas also increases.
 This in turn leads to overall rise in the surface temperature
of the earth which is also known as global warming.
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GREENHOUSE EFFECT
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Combustion of fossil fuels not only gives out carbon dioxide
into the air, it also releases various types of gases like
carbon monoxide, methane, nitrous oxide, etc. that cause
air pollution.
HERE IS THE TRICKY PART…
How many of you could survive without a car, computer,
house?
 Where do these things come from?
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INDUSTRIALIZATION
Industrialization is the period of social and economic
change that transforms a human group from an agrarian
society (agriculture based) into an industrial one.
 How do you think burning fossil fuels and deforestation are
linked to industrialization?
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HOW ARE THEY LINKED?
With the industrial revolution came factories.
 Average income and population began to exhibit
unprecedented sustained growth.
 More people needed more ‘stuff’!
 ‘Stuff’ is made from factories.
 Factories burn fossil fuels to make the ‘stuff’
 By burning fossil fuels, more carbon is released into the
atmosphere.
 By increasing deforestation (fewer trees), less carbon is
absorbed from the atmosphere.
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ACTIVITY: CARBON FOOTPRINT
HOW MUCH C02 DO YOU SPEW?
Calculate how many pounds of CO2 your “family”
emits each year.
 Calculate how many pounds of CO2 each person
in your family emits (divide by # of family
members)
 Describe what the family does that accounts for
their high/low carbon footprint.
 Describe how your family got their name.
 What could the family do to reduce their carbon
footprint?
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VIDEO: PLANTING HOPE (25MIN)
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Cosecha Sustenible Internacional (Sustainable
Harvest International)
http://vimeo.com/8848600
WARMUP

Describe how deforestation contributes to global
climate change?