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Other effect of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest is seen through the greater amount of carbon dioxide emission. The Amazon rainforest absorbs one-fourth of the carbon dioxide emissions on Earth, however, the amount of CO 2 absorbed today decreases by 30% than it was in the 1990s due to deforestation.
Rainforests are widely believed by lay persons to contribute a significant amount of the world's oxygen, [204] although it is now accepted by scientists that rainforests contribute little net oxygen to the atmosphere and deforestation has only a minor effect on atmospheric oxygen levels.
Deforestation, and conversion of grasslands to desert, may also lead to cooling of the regional climate. This is because of the albedo effect (sunlight reflected by bare ground) during the day, and rapid radiation of heat into space at night, due to the lack of vegetation and atmospheric moisture. [18]
Deforestation is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. A study shows annual carbon emissions (or carbon loss) from tropical deforestation have doubled during the last two decades and continue to increase. (0.97 ±0.16 PgC per year in 2001–2005 to 1.99 ±0.13 PgC per year in 2015–2019) [136] [135]
The atmospheric scientist Paul Crutzen introduced the term "Anthropocene" in the mid-1970s. [21] The term is sometimes used in the context of pollution produced from human activity since the start of the Agricultural Revolution but also applies broadly to all major human impacts on the environment.
Land-use change alters not just atmospheric CO 2 concentration but also land surface biophysics such as albedo and evapotranspiration, both of which affect climate. [19] The impact of land-use change on the climate is also more and more recognized by the climate modeling community.
Agroforestry has become part of the solution to fix the damage caused by deforestation. Agroforestry would affect the agriculture and atmosphere in Thailand in numerous ways. By planting a combination of different tree species, these trees are able to change the microclimatic conditions. [100]
Additionally, the effects of afforestation and reforestation will be farther in the future than keeping existing forests intact. [33] It takes much longer − several decades − for the benefits for global warming to manifest to the same carbon sequestration benefits from mature trees in tropical forests and hence from limiting deforestation. [34]