Rain Forests and Deserts

The hot topic of the news over the last few years has certainly been "Global Warming". Often, the loss of rain forests is noted as one of the reasons, among many, that we have "Global Warming". After all, these densely foliated areas of the world are extreme carbon dioxide (CO2) eating machines. And, if you subscribe to the theory that increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the cause of "Global Warming" (through the "greenhouse" effect), then it makes sense that the loss of rain forests will result in an increase of carbon dioxide.

However, I live in the desert Southwest of the United States. No one ever mentions how the "greening" of deserts around the world has offset the loss of the rain forests. The fact is that from Northern Africa to the Middle East to the desert Southwest of the United States, there are millions of acres of vegetation that are now flourishing in what had previously been, at the very best, dried scrub or just plain old desert sand.

Of course, the "Global Warmists" tend to point to all the negatives in support of their viewpoint. They choose to ignore the positives and the how the greening of the deserts are a definite positive and a very human activity that is helping to stifle the greenhouse effect. (Please note: a downside of inhabited deserts is the loss of fresh water supplies in the world.)

I am not sure but, my guess is that the rain forests are being destroyed at a lesser rate than the "green" expansion of Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Texas, Arizona, and Nevada. I could be wrong....