Drastic climatic changes occurred in Chine during 1958-2000.The average temperature had increased by 0.69 degree Celsius due to a reduction in forest cover in Heilongjiang, China. Forest cover revealed close relationship between deforestation and climate change.
Climatic changes refer to lasting and significant changes in the weather patterns characterized by statistical distribution over a period spanning decades or hundred thousands of years. These changes may encompass extreme weather conditions and may happen due to variations in solar radiation reaching earth, biotic processes, volcanic eruptions, and plate tectonics. Certain activities undertaken by humans have also been recognized as contributing to negative climatic changes such as global warming. The problem of climatic changes has attracted the public as well as environmentalists in particular all over the world.
A study conducted in Heilongjiang province , China where the temperature used to range between-4 to 4 degree Celsius, had a forest cover of 238335 km2 in 1958 which got depleted to the level of 207629 km2 by 2000 revealed close relationship between deforestation and climate change. The area in the vicinity had a warming of the climate to the tune of 0.69 degree Celsius due to deforestation. The area witnessed massive deforestation due to construction of rail track, inhabitation, and the use of wood as fuel. The deforestation is inversely proportional to rise in temperature (Gao, and Liu 281-291).
The fast changing climatic conditions of the earth are the potential threat to security to human existence. The melting glaciers, rising sea-levels, extremes of temperatures, floods, droughts, shortening of snowlines, global warming, water shortages are some of the effects of climatic changes taking place across the world. Thus, climatic changes are a threat to human settlements..The existence of the entire human is endangered by these changes ("Forests & Climate Change.").
The depletion of certain forest such as dense, sparse or shrubs has varying effects on climate change. Despite differing claims about the accuracy of these exercises, the relationship between deforestation and climate change has been fully established. Deforestation induces warmer climate due to the dissemination of CO2 in the atmosphere. A significant amount of carbon is surrounded in the biomass of forests the depletion of which leads to the release of those carbons in the atmosphere. The increased presence of carbon in the atmosphere leads to climate warming (Zografos, Goulden , and et al., ).
It is right time to take steps to ameliorate the situation before it goes out of hand and becomes unmanageable. Forestation is the answer to the increasing volume of CO2 in the atmosphere, and global warming. As already enunciated, deforestation is perhaps the single largest factor contributing to climatic changes detrimental to the human existence. The case cited above bring home the idea that extensive forestation only can save the earth from being fated due to after effects of climatic changes.
The forestation has several advantages and benefits so far as managing the volume of carbon in the atmosphere is concerned which lead towards climatic change. Some of benefits of forestation are listed below:
- It sequestrated CO2 effectively and in a manner which is ecologically friendly,
- Increases carbon sinking in the terrestrial ecosystems,
- Mitigates global warming,
- It restores ecological imbalances,
- It helps maintain concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere,
- Allows the carbon to be absorbed in biomass,
- It can save humanity from extinction due to ill effects of climatic changes.
Forestation is capable of mitigating the ecological imbalance due to rising global temperature. So far as the feasibility of forestation is concerned, we can take a clue from case of China which has contributed significantly to the sequestration of carbon in that country's environment. The likely effect of plantation and forestation by 2050 in China was simulated, and the pace of forestation augurs well for the country so far as carbon level in the environment is concerned (Huang, Liu, Shao, and Xu 33-55).
In arriving at the above results and estimations, past plantations as well as future plantations should be taken into account. In the past, the forestation has been impressive. Thus, forestation is the only way which can save humanity from extinction due to ill effects of climatic changes. Of course, it all has economic costs, but it is not an insuperable problem. The expenditure over forestation is worth the potential threat to human existence.
In contrast, some research studies emphasized the use of technology for the control and monitoring of CO2 to be more effective. The protagonists of this theory advocate scientific ways for minimizing the ill effects of increasing carbon in the environment. However, scientific methods are inappropriate as these will further complicate the matter due to concomitant side effects of scientific applications. Also, these methods may ultimately prove too little for the gigantic security threat to human existence by climatic changes.
The results of forestation plan may visible after around 5-10, years, but it is economical as well many other global benefits in the long run.
The climatic changes are dangerous for human existence. The increased CO2 concentration leads to extremes of temperatures-biting cold, and scorching heat, global warming, melting of snowlines, rise in sea level, floods, droughts, snowfall, and dipping and heightening of temperatures. All things considered there is an and civil urgency need to improve forestation policy which should be implemented by the help of relevant authorities, NGO’s society. Forestation is the only economically viable and practically possible method to mitigate climatic change and its frightening impacts on the security of human existence.
Annotated Bibliographies
Gao, Jay, and Yansui Liu. " De(re)-forestation and climate warming in subarctic China" Applied Geography. 32. (2012): 281-291.Print.
The article that I used for baseline for this topic provided issue of climatic changes that made the people conscious all over the world. It provided details of climatic change in Heilongjiang province in China with evidences. During 1958-2000, deforestation of every 10000 square kilometers gave rise to 0.42 degree Celsius in temperature. Most of the forest depletion took place during 1958 and 1980, but the effect of deforestation was become visible after around 15 years. A similar rise in mean average temperature by 2.5% has been deduced in Amazonian forests. This phenomenon was witnessed through simulation. The depletion of certain forest such as dense, sparse or shrubs has varying effects on climate change.
Despite differing claims about the accuracy of these exercises, the relationship between deforestation and climate change has been fully established in the article. Deforestation induces warmer climate due to the dissemination of CO2 in the atmosphere. The increased presence of carbon molecules in the atmosphere is creating climate warming. The enormity of the problem can be well understood by the case study presented in this article. It adds to the available insight into the climate issue and their solutions useful for officials, civil society, environmentalists, and professionals alike.
Huang, Lin, Jiyuan Liu, Quanqin Shao, and Xinliang Xu. "Carbon Sequestration by Forestation Across China- Past, present, and future, "Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 16. (2012): 1291-1299. Print.
This article highlighted forestation by considering the increasing volume of carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere, and global warming. It is capable of mitigating the ecological imbalance due to rising global temperature. Plants of forests absorb CO2 effectively and ecologically in friendly manner. The rate of forestation in China is the most impressive in the world and has contributed significantly to the sequestration of carbon in that country's environment. Presently, the plantations have accumulated carbon to the tune of 7.894 Pg C with total absorption as forest biomass 21.4% and 78.6% as SOC, and it is estimated to rise to the level of 10.395 Pg C by 2050.
In arriving at the above results and estimations, past plantations as well as future plantations have been taken into account. In the past, the forestation has been impressive. It is estimated that fresh plantation will cover an area of 301746 ha of land by 2050.
"Forests & Climate Change." 2014. American Forests, Web. 14 Feb. 2014. <https://www.americanforests.org/conservation-programs/forests-and-climate-change/>.
The deforestation has slowed down over the previous years but even than 32 million acres of forests is changed each year for development or other uses. Warmer temperature levels, changes in rainfall, and improved dry periods have made forests more at risk to an insect problem. A huge amount of carbon in the environment is disturbing climate ecosystem. Forests and climate are naturally linked. This improved warmth leads to adjust in climate patterns, which impact everything on the world, consisting of woodlands. As a matter of fact, all-natural procedure and woodlands are our most reliable, inexpensive, and natural resources to combat climate adjustment.
According to US forest department, taking care of forests to help them preserve and increase their carbon storage possibility can maximize the ability to mitigate climate adjustment. It is important that we acknowledge the value of this perk by avoiding denuding, bring back harmed woodlands, and keeping healthy and balanced ecosystems
Zografos, Marisa C., Goulden et al. "Sources of human insecurity in the face of hydro climatic change" Global Environmental Change. (2013): n. page. Print
The insecurity of humans could be understood in the light of the vulnerability of individuals, socio-ecological system, and societies to hydro-climatic stressors that may include such violent upheavals as floods, droughts, rise in sea level, temperature rise leading to water shortage, and gradual degradation of rainfall. The terms conflict and cooperation come very often in the context of water interactions on trans-boundary level, but these could be at levels of individuals, groups and nations, as well. There is the dynamism in both conflict and cooperation, and they change in course of time. They affect vulnerability and security of humans both positively as well as negatively.
Conflicts arise out of clamoring for acquisition of land, water resources and the likes. Climatic changes have cataclysmic effects on human lives. This article presented a good view point in the context of climatic change. Water is also an integral part of environment and subsequently for forests which play a Vitol role in climatic changes
Work Cited
Gao, Jay, and Yansui, Liu. "De(re)-forestation and climate warming in subarctic China" Applied Geography. 32. (2012): 281-291.Print.
"Forests & Climate Change." 2014. American Forests, Web. 14 Feb. 2014. <https://www.americanforests.org/conservation-programs/forests-and-climate-change/>.
Huang, Lin, Jiyuan Liu, Quanqin Shao, and Xinliang Xu. "Carbon Sequestration by Forestation Across China- Past, present, and future, "Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 16. (2012): 1291-1299. Print.
Zografos, Marisa C., Goulden et al. "Sources of human insecurity in the face of hydro climatic change" Global Environmental Change. (2013): n. page. Print.
