Trees are also cleared for fuelwood . The consequences are already serious and potentially catastrophic. Large-scale forest clearance also may have had a devastating impact on global genetic diversity, and on gene pools of individual species. The greenhouse effect is also partly owing to deforestation. The earth is now warming because of an increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Forests store more carbon than any other vegetation on land.
Deforestation means fewer trees are exhaling oxygen which, therefore, increases the proportion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The burning of wood as fuel makes the situation worse by increasing carbon dioxide emissions. Destruction of forests over past centuries has contributed substantially to the total increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. There are many remedies available to combat desertification and many policies that will promote the sustainable management of land resources. The challenge is to put them into effect.