deforestation and peat bogs

• what do humans use land for?

  • building
  • quarrying
  • farming
  • disposing waste
  • this means there is less land for other organisms
• what is deforestation?

  • deforestation is the cutting down of forests on a large scale
• why do humans do deforestation?

  • to clear land for farming to provide more food
  • to grow crops that biofuels based on ethanol can be produced
• what effect does deforestation have on carbon dioxide intake?

  • less trees = less photosynthesis = less carbon removed from atmosphere during this process
  • trees store some of their carbon, removing trees = less is locked up
• what affect does deforestation have on more carbon in the atmosphere?

  • microorganisms feeding on dead wood release carbon dioxide as a waste product of respiration
• what effect does deforestation have on biodiversity?

  • habitats like forests contain biodiversity hotspots, so when they are destroyed, many species are at danger of becoming extinct.
• why do people destroy peat bogs?

  • to produce compost to increase food production
  • the area can be used as farmland
  • to be cut up and dried to use as fuel
• what are peat bogs?

  • ares of land that are acidic and waterlogged, plants that live there don't full decay, so partly rotted plants gradually build up to form peat
• why does destruction of peat bogs contribute to global warming?

  • burning and destroying peat bogs causes the locked up carbon comes into contact with the air, releasing a large volume of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere