Rainforest's around the world still continue to fall. Does it really make a difference? Why should anyone care if some plants, animals, mushrooms, and microorganisms perish? Rainforest's are often hot and humid, difficult to reach, insect ridden, and have elusive wildlife. Actually the concern should not be about losing a few plants and animals; mankind stands to lose much more. By destroying the tropical forests we risk our own quality of life . Using our intelligence and ingenuity, the human species can preserve biodiversity and unique places for future generations, without compromising the quality of life for present populations. Anything less reduces our options in the future and leaves the planet a poorer place.It is estimated that Amazon forest creates 50-80% of its own rainfall through this process. Thus, as forest is felled, degraded, and cleared there is less heat absorption by vegetation and less moisture is evaporated into the atmosphere. The result: fewer rain clouds are formed and less precipitation falls on the forest -- NASA researchers confirmed this with their finding that during the Amazon dry season there was a distinct pattern of lower rainfall and warmer temperatures over deforested regions. The forest becomes drier contributing to a positive feedback loop where rain forest is replaced with savanna which transpires less and less moisture and is more susceptible to fires, which in themselves may alter regional climate by inhibiting cloud formation. Rainforest's also have an impact on world climate through their role in the global carbon cycle. Via photosynthesis, Rainforest's lock up large amounts of atmospheric carbon in their vegetation. The vegetation and soils of the world's forests contain about 125% of the carbon found in the atmosphere. When forests are burned, degraded, or cleared, the opposite effect occurs: large amounts of carbon are released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide along with other greenhouse gases (nitrous oxide, methane, and other nitrogen oxides). The burning of forests releases almost one billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. The buildup of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere is known as the "greenhouse effect." The buildup of these gases is believed to have altered the earth's radiative balance meaning more of the sun's heat is absorbed and trapped inside the earth's atmosphere, producing global warming. Some carbon emissions can be mitigated by the planting of trees which absorb carbon into their vegetation through photosynthesis. Tropical forests have the best potential for the mitigation of greenhouse gases since have the greatest capacity to store carbon in their tissues as they grow. Reforestation of 3.9 million square miles (10 million square km) could sequester 100-150 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide over the next 50-100 years. Tropical rain forests also are responsible for adding oxygen to the atmosphere as a by-product of photosynthesis. It is estimated that 20% of the the planet's oxygen is produced by the world's rain forests. Cutting the rain forest diminishes the capacity of the global system to supply oxygen reserves. The last goodbye; a more crowded but lonelier planet Perhaps the greatest loss from the continuing destruction of tropical forests is the extinction of species contribute to the planet's biodiversity. Species extinction is not a new process -- it has happened since the dawn of life -- but the nature of the current extinction wave is unlike any to have occurred before. The extinction rate of today may be 1,000 to 10,000 times the biological normal, or background extinction rate, of 1-10 species extinctions per year. This loss of species, unlike some of the other consequences of deforestation, is largely irreversible in our time since we probably only know of a small fraction of the species disappearing. Bioengineering and cloning is not possible if we don't know what we've lost. Species like the Orangutan are facing extinction in the wild Photo by Jen Caldwell Scientists believe only a small fraction of Earth's species have been cataloged. Obvious species, like apes, birds, snakes, and frogs are relatively well-known but the vast majority of small organisms still remain a mystery. And it is just these seemingly nominal nondescript species that have the most potential to help mankind through medical and engineering applications. Besides losing unique species that add character to the planet and have intrinsic value of their own right, we are losing an incredible pool of genetic diversity which we could harness to help our own kind. As each species is lost, a unique combination of genes which has been produced over the course of millions of years, is lost and will not be replaced during our time. We head toward a future impoverished of the magnificent that we remember learning about as children: ferocious tigers; armored rhinos; brilliant macaws; colorful frogs and toads. As these species vanish from the globe, the world is truly a poorer place. Biodiversity will recover after humanity is gone, but in the meantime, the continuing loss of our fellow species will make Earth an awfully crowded, but lonely place.
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