Conservation of Plants Animals — Science STD 8 — Question

Trees (and other plants) use carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere for the process of food making called 'photosynthesis'. When a lot of trees are cut down during deforestation, then lesser number of trees will be left. The lesser number of trees will use up less carbon dioxide due to which the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will increase. In this way, deforestation increases the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide gas traps the sun's heat rays reflected by the Earth (causing greenhouse effect). Trapping of heat rays by carbon dioxide increases the temperature of Earth's atmosphere. This will lead to global warming. The gradual increase in the overall temperature of Earth's atmosphere due to greenhouse effect caused by the increased level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is called global warming.