Question

environmental issues in her science class. she reads that large areas of forest are being cut down in many countries. she wonders if this deforestation contributes to global warming. what should priya conclude? yes; less trees means less co2 being removed from the atmosphere. sometimes because only the cutting down of maple trees contributes to global warming no, trees arent that important no, deforestation adds methane to the atmosphere, which makes the earth cooler

Explanation:

To determine Priya's conclusion, we analyze the role of trees in the carbon cycle. Trees perform photosynthesis, which removes \( \text{CO}_2 \) (a greenhouse gas) from the atmosphere. Deforestation reduces the number of trees, so less \( \text{CO}_2 \) is removed. The second option is incorrect as all trees (not just Maple) contribute to \( \text{CO}_2 \) removal. The third option is wrong because trees are vital for carbon sequestration. The fourth option is incorrect as deforestation reduces \( \text{CO}_2 \) removal (and doesn't cool the Earth by adding methane; methane is a greenhouse gas too). So the correct reasoning is that less trees mean less \( \text{CO}_2 \) removal, contributing to global warming.

Answer:

Yes; less trees means less \( \text{CO}_2 \) being removed from the atmosphere.