why is climate change a threat to the tropical rainforest

Global warming could decrease the habitat of many endemic vertebrate species which live in the cooler upland and montane rainforests, leaving only isolated pockets of rainforest for them to live in. The Sumatran Orangutan is listed as “critically endangered” and the Bornean Orangutan as “endangered”. Hardwoods like mahogany and teak are very valuable, and can be sold for a great profit. Extinction risk from climate change. Privacy policy. Rainforests are forests which grow in areas of high rainfall. Beneath rainforests there often lies a wealth of natural resources in the form of mineral and gold deposits. In addition, there is neither summer nor winter in the tropical rainforests, but it usually is hot and wet all months of the year with frequent and heavy rains. Soy plants may also be genetically modified - still a controversial issue. In burning the rainforests Indonesia is also burning the peatlands below which store masses of carbon. According to the IUCN, over the last ten years their numbers have halved and up to 5000 are killed every year, despite their status as protected species. 1) The growth of populations in countries with rainforest. & The Daily Climate . Many of the food companies importing palm oil for use in our foods choose ‘sustainable’ sources which means that more care and responsibility is taken and areas rich in wildlife and animals are protected. Their peatlands cover just 0.1% of the earth’s land, yet contribute to 4% of the world’s greenhouse gases. Tropical rainforests are the cradle of life (perfect conditions for life) on Earth, i.e., rich in plant species composition (>250 plant species/hectare) and fauna diversity (>50% of animal species in the world). Before humans started destroying the rainforests, they covered 15% of the Earth's land area, today, they cover less than 3%. The rate at which the forests have been cleared has accelerated during the latter part of the 20th and into the 21st century. Climate Change and Agriculture : A Review of Impacts and Adaptations. Tropical forests are taking up less carbon dioxide from the air, reducing their ability to act as “carbon sinks” and bringing closer the prospect of accelerating climate breakdown. 97% of the soya meal produced worldwide is used for animal feed and much of that is not sustainably produced. But we now know more about the important role that forests, especially rainforests play. After logging and/or burning of the rainforest, cleared land is sold to local farmers for cattle grazing. It can also be used as a biofuel instead of petrol or diesel. People also log trees to make fortunes. Fortunes can be made in the rainforest. Valuable trees are harvested and the rest are burnt to clear the land for the farming of palm oil. The pulp is used to make paper. As well as damaging people's health, the mercury used goes on to pollute river systems and is the second-worse source of mercury pollution in the world, after the burning of fossil fuels. That’s because tropical forest are the functional lungs of the earth. In Britain we destroyed our ancient forests thousands of years ago and used the land for farming. Climate change is another major issue for the rainforest, with lichens and bryophytes highly sensitive to atmospheric pollution. It is also the case that with the example of soya, it doesn’t usually benefit the local people who are often violently forced off their lands and then sometimes forced to work on the plantations. The population of humanshas been on the rise with scientists estimating that it will reach 9 billion by 2050. Eventually the good topsoil will be washed away by the rains within three or four years and the area may become a desert. On the contrary, burning the rainforest is like creating a huge bonfire, throwing massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Indonesia is already the world’s third highest emitter of carbon dioxide after the USA and China because of the burning of its rainforests and peat lands to clear areas for growing palm oil. It is easy to lead oneself to believe, since we aren’t individually feeling the effects of climate change in our daily lives, that … Many apes are vulnerable to diseases. Imported products are products grown or made in other countries and then shipped to the UK, the opposite of this is exports - products made in the UK and sent to other countries. Palm oil production is such a huge business in Malaysia and Indonesia that the latter has gained the title of “World’s Fastest Rainforest Destroyer” in the Guiness Book of World Records! It is estimated that 33% of all the products in your local supermarket contain palm oil - that’s a lot of products! Widespread amphibian extinctions from epidemic disease driven by global warming. However, livestock can still be indirectly responsible for rainforest destruction since intensively farmed animals in the UK are fed a high protein plant called soya. This means that they have developed arrays of life unequalled by any other ecosystems on the planet. Scientists warn this degenerative process could cause a “tipping point” leading to ecosystem collapse. The loss of nature is a threat to humans as well as to animals, and the loss of tropical rainforests results in significant Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions that drive climate change. At first the land may be very productive. Some of the world's leading scientists went to the Daintree Rainforest this week to discuss how climate change will affect the wet tropics. The soya companies are often owned by foreigners, who are there to make money, so it does nothing to benefit the local people and their economic situation. Unfortunately, the damage does not end there. Mercury is banned in Indonesia but is readily available for purchase by individuals. The Rainforest Alliance has long worked to conserve tropical forests—a vital defense against climate change—by partnering with forest communities on improved land management practices. The disappearance of the forest is called deforestation. (2013). This lesson is based upon an exam question within the subject specification and SoW. Rainforests also help to transport huge volumes of water vapour through the atmosphere in 'flying rivers'. Changes in weather patterns, rainfall distribution, and temperature will result in the transformation of rainforest into drier forest in some areas and the conversion of other forms of forests into tropical forest . Rainfall patterns “Most people know that climate change is a dangerous global problem, and that … This makes Indonesia the country with the 3rd largest carbon footprint in the world, when deforestation is taken into account! China, with its growing demands for beef has in recent years become the largest consumer of soya from Brazil. “A changing climate poses a substantial threat to the Amazon forests, which contain a large portion of the world’s biodiversity. The money that can be made is only available in the short-term. Though both natural and human threats are responsible for loss of rainforests, maximum negative impacts are contributed by human intervention. Scientific American. Have you heard of palm oil? Often people involved in small scale gold mining use mercury to extract the gold. Brazil suffered an energy crisis in 2006 and is keen to develop this source of power. To be able to describe and explain the main causes of deforestation 3. Sadly, experts believe deforestation for palm oil is the single greatest threat to orangutans in the wild. But when it comes to the palm kernel meal used in pet food there’s a different story. To be able to explain why climate change is an indirect threat to the health of the tropical rainforest; Competency: 1. These changes became apparent in the mid to late 20 th century and are a result of the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.No ecosystem on earth is safe from climate change; it affects animals, plants, and biomes.. The tropical rainforests of the Amazon Basin face the threat of deforestation. Forests are destroyed for a number of reasons:-. Wood rotting underwater also releases carbon dioxide and methane greenhouse gases. In many cases, promised compensation is not delivered. Deforestation is happening due to the following reasons: Farming - large areas are cleared for pastoral farming. As the population grows, people tend to log trees in order to get enough space to settle. For example, teak and mahogany are very valuable hardwoods and are profitable when sold. As populations have grown and demands for land and timber have grown greater, so the deforestation has accelerated. The destruction of the rainforest could affect the world's climate. Out of the 6 million square miles (15 million square kilometres) of tropical rainforest that once existed worldwide, only 2.4 million square miles (6 million square km) remain. The rainforest needs you more than ever. Burning the trees and the peatlands beneath them is highly polluting (see below) although the ash improves the soil’s fertility before planting. Tropical rainforests experience this tropical climate, a climate without any dry season. Thomas, C. D., Cameron, A., Green, R. E.. , Y. C., … & Williams, S. E. (2004). Humans have cut down trees for thousands of years, yet concern over deforestation is fairly recent. 80% of deforested areas in Brazil are used for cattle ranching and are the greatest source of carbon emissions in Brazil. High wind speeds combined with the tightly packed trees can cause large swaths of land to be cleared, which can take centuries to be naturally restored to its former state. To avoid buying this wood in the UK, the most recognised and trustworthy standard is the Forestry Stewardship Council logo on wood and paper products which ensures the source was from sustainably managed forests. Threats to the rainforest have increased significantly in the last five decades. To be able to identify/define and … The average temperature in the tropical rainforest is between 20 and 25°C. While rainforests furnish two billion people with livelihoods, their services benefit billions more. The Xingu river is the site of the world's third largest hydro-electric dam, the Belo Monte project where 310 square miles (500 square km) will be flooded. In West Africa, almost 90% of the rainforest has been destroyed and now the logging is spreading to Central Africa. A by-product of photosynthesis is oxygen. There may be only two or three commercially viable trees in an area of forest the size of two football pitches. About 1/10 of wood used in the timber trade worldwide is illegal. To be able to identify/define and describe the keywords 2. Deforestation is responsibly for more global carbon emissions than all the planes, trains, buses and cars in the world put together! For each 1C rise in temperature, tropical regions now release about 2 billion extra tonnes of carbon-containing gases Deforestation is happening for the following reasons: Farming - large areas are cleared for pastoral farming. Some are pets, some are farm animals which provide us with food or milk, but one thing they do have in common - they are contributing to the destruction of Asia’s rainforests. Students will look at the biosphere and how humans are having an impact. This renewable “green” source of energy, ironically is to blame for some environmental destruction, for example in the Amazon when the Tucuri dam was built. Please donate £1 to help YPTE to continue its work of inspiring young people to look after our world. Climate change After deforestation, the second major (indirect) threat to tropical rainforests is climate change via global warming. Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of beef with more cattle (232 million) than people (210 million in 2020)! Brazil Faces Drop in Crop Productivity. He explained that climate change in the tropics affects all of us, perhaps even more so than the melting ice caps at the poles. Extinctions are already occurring across the tropics due to climate change, Wright said, citing the loss of numerous frog species due to the infectious and lethal fungal disease, Chytridiomycosis. The destruction of the rainforest could affect the world's climate. The lesson will focus on the indirect threats to the rainforest - focusing on climate stress and climate change. In Africa apes such as gorillas and other animals are hunted for bushmeat to be sold by roadsides and in the markets. Warming global temperatures affect the atmospheric systems that bring wet seasons to the equatorial climate. Once an area of forest is cleared, it will probably never recover. “Tropical deforestation delivers a double whammy to the climate – and to farmers,” says Deborah Lawrence, an environmental scientist at the University of Virginia. Oils from plants, vegetables, seeds and nuts have been used for centuries all over the world for many different foods and products. Agriculture, and the steps and infrastructures needed to maintain these industries, are destroying the Amazon rainforest with alarming speed. Since the end of the Second World War about half the world's rainforest has been felled. An ecosystem is not just the plants, but also the birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, amphibians, invertebrates, bacteria, and even the non-living elements like soil, water and air. Pounds, J. The average precipitation in tropical … Global climate change initiated by global warming is expected to have wide-ranging effects for tropical rainforests (also see section 9). The disease has been linked by some scientists to climate change. All the way from Asia, pets all over the country are eating food containing palm kernel meal. Rocha„ J. Indonesia and Malaysia together produce more than 80 percent of the world’s palm oil. Carbon dioxide or CO2 is a 'greenhouse gas', which helps to retain the heat of the sun within the Earth's atmosphere. An estimated 23% of total human-caused greenhouse gas emissions (2007-2016) … Warmer temperatures help to shift the wet systems poleward, bringing LESS RAIN to the TRF. However, in any rainforest it is only the top layer of soil, known as the “topsoil” that is fertile. Brazil has the world's largest iron ore mine and has rich reserves of other metals such as zinc, nickel, tin and aluminium. Large areas of forest in Indonesia are protected by law against any prospecting or open cast mining, although new rules do allow underground mining in protected areas. Many indigenous people such as the Kayapo Indians are concerned about the potential loss of land. Nearly 800 square kilometres of forest were cut down during the first three months of 2020 — 51% more than during the same period in 2019. At the centre of the oil palm fruits, much like a nectarine, there is a stone, or ‘kernel’ and this is chopped and mashed up to produce the high protein ingredient palm kernel meal. Climate change is the transformation of the weather based on its various statistics recorded over a long-term basis. Such changes would result in significant shifts in ecosystem types – from tropical forest to dry savanna – and loss of species in many parts of the Amazon. When the trees are removed, the flying rivers stop flowing. See our orangutan factsheet below for more information. That about 8.5 million football pitches. Many feel this is a good exchange and may improve their standard of living, although the reality can be far from that. The total area covered by rainforests was … Climate change: Rainforest absorption of CO2 becoming erratic. Gradually, the rainforest has gained the attention of the worldwide media, making most of us aware of the problems. Once roads are built to reach the mines, it becomes easier for illegal logging and poaching to take place. Climate. © 2021 Young People's Trust For the Environment. The construction was completed in 2019. 2) An increase in worldwide demand for tropical hardwoods has put a greater strain on the rainforests. In some cases their climates have remained stable for the last 65 million years. Tropical Storms - While smaller tropical storms do not pose much of a problem to rainforests, larger storms (like hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons) can cause extensive damage. One victim of palm oil plantations is the orangutan. As the soil’s fertility does not last forever, the people at the head of logging companies avoid bankruptcy by buying up new areas of forest. Road building through rainforests is another problem, making illegal logging and the poaching of animals much easier. A., Bustamante, M. R., Coloma, L. A., Consuegra, J. The big companies and governments who propose these developments of the rainforest usually offer incentives for the affected people such as jobs, schools and clinics. Otherwise farmers may resort to using more and more fertilizers and pesticides which bring with them their own problems such as the pollution of rivers. Climate change is defined as a change in large-scale climate patterns. By burning the rainforest, we are not only adding huge amounts of CO2 to the atmosphere, but we are also reducing nature's ability to absorb CO2 and to produce oxygen. Tropical rainforests absorb about 20% of the world’s man-made carbon dioxide emissions. The problem is that 0% of the ingredient is sourced from sustainable sources, which means that farmers could be destroying the most species-rich rainforests in the world. How about vegetable oil or olive oil? Current rates of deforestation amount to about 6 million hectares a year. The Young People's Trust for the Environment is a charity which aims to encourage young people's understanding of the environment and the need for sustainability. Unlike the four seasons of spring, summer, fall, and winter that most of us know of, there are only two seasons in the tropical … Cats, dogs, pigs, cows and goldfish. Climate change: Climate change is becoming a major concern to the biodiversity of the Daintree Rainforest. The tropical rainforests of the Amazon Basin face the threat of deforestation. This post focuses on the specific effects of climate change on tropical rainforests, and what they mean for populations around the planet. Trees are also cut down for wood pulp, which until recently came only from softwoods like Canadian conifers. Water falls on the rainforests, is absorbed by the trees and then evaporated from their leaves in a process called transpiration. This is what Cool Earth has done and will continue to do until tropical deforestation and degradation plays no part in climate change. An estimated 70 - 80% of logging in Brazil and Indonesia is illegal. We also train farmers in climate-smart agriculture methods, helping them to adapt to current climate impacts and prepare for future challenges.

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