Tropical forests affect climate and the removal of forests will change the climate. Or not? This book discusses basic questions on how far, if at all, tropical deforestation leads to climatic change. The question of this uncertainty is particularly addressed. One important consequence of the uncertainties of whether deforestation affects climate is how scientific findings best illuminate the policy-making process. The text includes chapters covering the following topics: history of climate and forests in tropical Africa during the last eight million years; effects of tropical deforestation on global and regional atmospheric chemistry; and the politics of prevention.
