deforestation is the destruction of forested areas, often as a direct result of human activity.
It has been practised by humans for thousands of years in order to use/spend trees for firewood, to clear land for growing crops and to provide land for rearing animals.
In Europe, the rate of clearance increased along the second half of the nineteenth century due by/for/to agricultural expansion.
In the twentieth century the highest/greatest concern was the loss of tropical rainforests due to deforestation.
Between/since/until 1960 and 1990 alone, one fifth of the world's rainforests were lost/disappeared.
The trend continues and currently 12 million hectares of tropical rainforest disappear each year, an area approximately the size of Englad.
Deforestation is included in the list of causes of the greenhouse effect.
Trees remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis.
Without the trees to do this, more CO2 remains in the earth's atmosphere.
Furthermore, burning of wood and carbon fossil fuels releases stored carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere, adding to atmospheric pollution.
May 2017
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