Tropical deforestation has affected global climate change mainly because it:

Tropical deforestation has affected global climate change mainly because it:

• A. The loss of tree cover has reduced solar radiation reflected from the earth back into the atmosphere.
• B. The burning and decomposition of trees and tree waste has released carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
• C. The burning and decomposition of trees and tree waste has removed oxygen from the atmosphere.
• D. The loss of tree cover has reduced the global absorption of chlorofluorocarbons from the atmosphere.

Answer: (B)

When forests are cleared or burned, the carbon stored in trees is released as carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere and drives global warming. Decomposition of remaining wood also releases CO2 over time. While removing forests also reduces future CO2 uptake, the immediate climate impact comes from the rapid release of stored carbon. The other ideas misstate the mechanism: changes in reflectivity (albedo) are secondary compared to CO2 release; oxygen isn’t removed in these processes; and CFCs are unrelated to deforestation.

When forests are cleared or burned, the carbon stored in trees is released as carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere and drives global warming. Decomposition of remaining wood also releases CO2 over time. While removing forests also reduces future CO2 uptake, the immediate climate impact comes from the rapid release of stored carbon. The other ideas misstate the mechanism: changes in reflectivity (albedo) are secondary compared to CO2 release; oxygen isn’t removed in these processes; and CFCs are unrelated to deforestation.