A recent study of tropical deforestation from 1950 through 2009 suggests that carbon emissions and species extinction related to land clearing persist longer beyond the deforestation events that cause them than previously thought. The study, which was published July 28 in the scientific journal Current Biology, finds that even if deforestation had completely stopped by the end of 2009, significant carbon emissions from the land clearing would continue for years to come. The reason is what researchers call a “carbon emissions debt,” the interval between the actual felling of trees and the release of carbon that occurs as the wood and plant matter that is not burned or removed from the site decays. This emissions debt would be equivalent to five to ten years of... [Log in to read more]
