The Amazon Rainforest, along with other rainforests around the world, is being demolished at an enormous rate. Rainforests are cut down for their timber as well as land. This deforestation leads to more carbon dioxide emissions into the air. "Deforestation puts atmospheric pollution into the air which enhances the green house effect," Cristy Morales, junior anthropology and biology major, said. "This ultimately causes global warming."

Deforestation in the tropical regions of the world causes about a 22 percent increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide. "When you cut the rainforest the soil will lose organic matter. This will slow down the rate of organic matter in the soil and have [a] higher level of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere," Roger Anderson, professor of biological sciences, said.

"Many times the forests are burned rather than being used for lumber purposes. This will release more carbon into the atmosphere." Loss of this abundant environment not only affects the carbon emissions into the atmosphere, it also has a great impact on the diversity of species on the Earth.

"Destruction of the rainforest results in a loss of biodiversity because the tropical regions have 70 percent of all known species," Anderson said. The rainforest is home to the most diverse amount of animal species on this planet. "They should stop getting rid of one of our Earth's most important ecosystems," Morales said. "Our society needs to figure out a different way of using our resources."

The tropical rainforests are often burned to the ground for agricultural reasons. Changes occur once crops are planted that can lead to an increase in atmospheric carbon emissions."The crops absorb less carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than the rainforests," Anderson said. "Recent studies have shown that converting rainforests to oil palm plantations to produce bio-fuels, which should reduce carbon dioxide emission, results in a net increase of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere."

Anderson added that although fuel can be made from oil palms, carbon dioxide is still emitted into the air. Not only is the rainforest home to a significant amount of known species, it also covers seven percent of the Earth's surface and is home to a variety of plant life. "One fourth of our medicines come from rainforest plants. More than 1,400 tropical plants may be potential cancer cures and 40 percent of the Earth's oxygen is produced by rainforests," Anderson said.

(Daily Vidette, 10/10/2008)