What effect does deforestation have on air quality?

What effect does deforestation have on air quality?

• A. It improves air quality by increasing oxygen levels
• B. It has no effect on air quality
• C. It worsens air pollution due to reduced carbon absorption
• D. It reduces urban heat islands

Answer: (C)

Deforestation significantly worsens air pollution primarily due to the reduction in carbon absorption that trees perform. Trees play a crucial role in the carbon cycle by absorbing carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, during photosynthesis. When forests are cut down, not only is this carbon absorption capacity diminished, but the act of deforestation itself often releases stored carbon back into the atmosphere, contributing further to air pollution and climate change. Moreover, trees help improve air quality by filtering pollutants and particulates from the air. Their removal can lead to increased concentrations of these harmful substances. Therefore, the process of deforestation leads to an increase in air pollution and a decrease in overall air quality, making the correct answer clear in the context of the relationship between forests and air quality. The other options do not align with the ecological reality of how trees and forests interact with the air quality. Improving oxygen levels is not a direct outcome of deforestation; rather, it's the presence of trees that contributes positively to oxygen production. The notion that deforestation has no effect overlooks the critical roles that forests play in maintaining air quality. Similarly, the reduction of urban heat islands, which refers to areas in cities that are significantly warmer than their rural surroundings due to human activities, is unrelated to the

Deforestation significantly worsens air pollution primarily due to the reduction in carbon absorption that trees perform. Trees play a crucial role in the carbon cycle by absorbing carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, during photosynthesis. When forests are cut down, not only is this carbon absorption capacity diminished, but the act of deforestation itself often releases stored carbon back into the atmosphere, contributing further to air pollution and climate change.

Moreover, trees help improve air quality by filtering pollutants and particulates from the air. Their removal can lead to increased concentrations of these harmful substances. Therefore, the process of deforestation leads to an increase in air pollution and a decrease in overall air quality, making the correct answer clear in the context of the relationship between forests and air quality.

The other options do not align with the ecological reality of how trees and forests interact with the air quality. Improving oxygen levels is not a direct outcome of deforestation; rather, it's the presence of trees that contributes positively to oxygen production. The notion that deforestation has no effect overlooks the critical roles that forests play in maintaining air quality. Similarly, the reduction of urban heat islands, which refers to areas in cities that are significantly warmer than their rural surroundings due to human activities, is unrelated to the