Why does burning tropical rainforest lead to global warming but burning an equivalent amount (mass) of corn stalks does not?
As we have discussed above in question five, sources of carbon can essentially be described as processes that generate greenhouse gases, while sinks are described as processes that get rid of greenhouse gases. One of the main carbon sinks is tropical rainforests due to their ability to store much more carbon through the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and the storage of this carbon in their plant material and the soil below them. The impact then of burning a tropical rainforest, in terms of carbon output, is enormous due to the amount of carbon that rainforests store. The effect on global warming is therefore mores substantial when burning a tropical rainforest that burning crops such as corn stalks as more carbon is released in burning a tropical rainforest, which therefore has a direct warming effect on the climate.
