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How does deforestation contribute to global warming?
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Climate change
A series of photographs of the Grinnell Glacier taken from the summit of Mount Gould in Glacier National Park, Montana, in (from left) 1938, 1981, 1998, and 2006. In 1938 the Grinnell Glacier filled the entire area at the bottom of the image. By 2006 it had largely disappeared from this view.
Deforestation contributes to global warming primarily by reducing the Earth's capacity to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) and by releasing stored carbon back into the atmosphere. Forests act as significant carbon sinks, absorbing CO2 through photosynthesis as trees grow. When forests are cleared, especially through burning, the carbon stored in the trees and vegetation is released as CO2, a potent greenhouse gas. This process not only diminishes the planet's ability to sequester carbon but also directly increases atmospheric CO2 levels, exacerbating the greenhouse effect and contributing to global warming.12345