Revision summary
Forest and canopy loss releases carbon and heats localities. Mines, dams and cities are Indian illustrations. Adivasi commons and hill farms suffer degradation first. Fossil fuels remain the larger global driver. Plantation statistics can mask real ecological loss.
Model answer
Copper italics in this answer — like this — are the key facts. Each one is unpacked in the Facts & figures rail.
Introduction
Yes. Loss of green cover degrades local ecology and adds to warming by releasing stored carbon and reducing cooling shade and moisture. India illustrates this in forests, coasts, and cities.
Body
The chain
- Trees and soils store carbon. Clearing for mines, dams, and cities releases it and cuts future uptake.
- Degradation is also local: erosion, hotter micro-climates, lost commons for Adivasi and pastoral groups.
Illustrations
- Western Ghats and Himalayan slopes: road and hydropower cuts raise landslide and flood risk, which hill farmers pay for.
- Central Indian mining belts: forest loss is tribal displacement plus a carbon and biodiversity hit.
- Urban heat islands where canopy is replaced by asphalt show warming as a lived class fact: slums cook, gated parks stay cooler.
Limit of the claim
- Green cover is not the only driver of global warming; fossil fuels dominate.
- Plantation numbers can hide real forest quality, so ‘green’ on paper may not cool.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD GC[Green cover loss] --> C[Carbon heat erosion] C --> GW[Adds to warming] F[Fossil fuels] --> GW
Conclusion
Reduction of living green cover has degraded ecology and contributed to warming, especially as a local and national carbon and heat story. India’s mines, hills, and cities illustrate that tree loss is a social as well as a climate event.
Quick related
Students also ask
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Discuss the implications of 'Swachha Bharat Abhiyaan'. Do you think that civil society has a role to play here ? Substantiate your answer with an example
Next question on this syllabus topic (2019 · Q7(b)). View answer →
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Will planting trees fix warming?
They help if they are real ecosystems. They do not replace cutting coal.
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Is all farmland a green-cover loss?
Historic conversion happened. The present crisis is remaining forest and urban canopy.
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