Tropical Rainforests
Reasons for clearing them
Commercial agriculture
Cattle ranching
Roles of rainforests
Shelters for various species
Arbiters for global water supply
Affect the weather in
the rest of the world
Moderators for climate
Absorb carbon dioxide and
renew atmospheric oxygen
Impacts of destruction of rainforests
Affects farmers negatively
Difficult to adapt to increased
floods and parched soil
Destruction of forests starting
to affect regional climates
E.g. Rainy season in the Amazon
delayed by up to 2 weeks
E.g. Dry season in Thailand
has become drier
Alter moisture and air flow
Immediate fluctuations
in rainfall patterns
Rises in temperature
that happen right away
Impacts that extend far
beyond the tropics
Rainfall patterns affected
UK Midwest and
Southern France could
see a decrease in rainfall.
E.g. UK and Hawaii could
see an increase in rainfall.
Affect agriculture in
North America, Asia
and Europe