Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the estimated amount of rainforest cut down every year?
What is the estimated amount of rainforest cut down every year?
What percentage of the Earth's CO2 is turned into Oxygen by rainforests?
What percentage of the Earth's CO2 is turned into Oxygen by rainforests?
According to Richard Attenborough, what is the rainforest?
According to Richard Attenborough, what is the rainforest?
What is another consequence of deforestation besides loss of biodiversity?
What is another consequence of deforestation besides loss of biodiversity?
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What is the value of the rainforest's CO2 removal, according to Lee White?
What is the value of the rainforest's CO2 removal, according to Lee White?
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What is one of the consequences of deforestation according to Paulo Rodrigo from the Society for the Protection of the Amazon?
What is one of the consequences of deforestation according to Paulo Rodrigo from the Society for the Protection of the Amazon?
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What is a major benefit of preserving rainforests, according to Chris Brown from the World Health Organisation?
What is a major benefit of preserving rainforests, according to Chris Brown from the World Health Organisation?
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What is a consequence of tree roots being removed from the soil?
What is a consequence of tree roots being removed from the soil?
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Why do mining companies claim to be beneficial to the countries they operate in?
Why do mining companies claim to be beneficial to the countries they operate in?
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What is one of the reasons people cut down rainforests, aside from creating farmland?
What is one of the reasons people cut down rainforests, aside from creating farmland?
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Study Notes
Rainforest Destruction
- 7.5 million hectares of rainforest are cut down every year, equivalent to 20 football pitches per minute.
- Rainforests absorb carbon dioxide (CO2), preventing global warming, and produce oxygen, with 18% of the Earth's CO2 being turned into oxygen by rainforests.
Importance of Rainforests
- Rainforests are the most bio-diverse habitats in the world, with half of all plant and animal species living in them.
- The richest habitat in the world, according to Richard Attenborough.
- Home to millions of indigenous tribes-people, who have lived in harmony with their environment for thousands of years.
Reasons to Preserve Rainforests
- Rainforests prevent global warming, with the removal of CO2 worth £13 billion per year, according to Lee White, a respected Climate Change Scientist.
- Rainforests provide homes to millions of plants, animals, and people.
- They contain potential cures and treatments for human diseases, with over 2,000 tropical forest plants identified as having anti-cancer properties.
Effects of Deforestation
- Causes soil erosion, as tree roots hold soil together and prevent erosion.
- Leads to a vicious cycle, where cleared land can only be used for farming for a short time, until the soil is eroded and the land becomes barren.
Reasons for Deforestation
- Logging (chopping down trees to sell them) and mining resources such as copper, gold, and aluminium.
- Attempting to create farmland, despite it only being usable for a short time.
Why Rainforests Should Be Preserved
- To prevent global warming, soil erosion, and the destruction of habitats and indigenous way of life.
- To preserve the potential cures and treatments for human diseases that may be found in rainforests.
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Description
Learn about the importance of rainforests and how their destruction contributes to global warming. Discover the reasons why rainforest destruction must stop.
