International Relations and the Environment — Flashcards

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Air, water, shifting soil, and migratory animals cross national borders. Because of this, one country alone cannot fully solve many environmental problems. Cooperation at local, national, and internat…

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About 80% of Earth's terrestrial biodiversity is found in developing countries. Many forests, wildlife species, and ecosystems are located there, so their protection is crucial for the planet as a who…

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Rainforests cover only 6% of Earth's land surface but contain over 50% of global biodiversity. They support an extremely large number of plant and animal species, many of which live nowhere else.

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Rainforests absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide and release oxygen through photosynthesis, which gives them the nickname "lungs of the planet." They also store a lot of carbon, so cutting and burni…

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A single rainforest tree may house more than 40 different ant species. This shows how closely organisms are connected in a rainforest and how damage to one tree can affect many other living things.

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Clear cutting and fragmentation destroy habitats, break species interactions, and reduce biodiversity. Rainforest soils are often poor in nutrients, so once the forest is removed, regrowth becomes ver…

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Population growth, poverty, government policies that reward cleared land, logging, mining, road building, cattle pastures, and industrial agriculture all increase deforestation. Consumer demand in wea…

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Brazil's deforestation dropped from 19,508 km² per year to 6,451 km² per year, which is a 67% drop. This major reduction also meant nearly 1 billion tons of CO2 emissions were avoided.