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Deforestation

D eforestation is the clearing of plants and trees to use the land for other purposes. Global deforestation began in 1960, and by the end of the nineteenth century, most of the world’s dense forests were cleared. Since then, deforestation has been increasing at a high rate.

History About 300 million years ago, the Carbon- iferous rain forests were destroyed due to climate change. This led to the death of many hundreds of plants and animals spe- cies. The change in climate was sudden and affected large groups of amphibians and reptiles. Since then the rain forests have been continuously shrinking. Global Deforestation Rapid population growth and poverty has increased the demand for farming, graz- ing cattle, plantation of commodities, ur- banization, and the growth of industries. These activities contribute to global defor- estation.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Problems and Progress

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