Rainforests around the world are being cleared at an alarming rate to make room for new communities, agriculture, mining, and roads, and to provide lumber for construction and furniture. How might the destruction of rainforests affect the balance of gases in Earth's atmosphere?

Rainforest plants take in carbon dioxide during photosynthesis and release oxygen. When forests are cleared, fewer plants remove carbon dioxide and produce oxygen; burning or decomposition of cleared trees can also release stored carbon dioxide. Therefore, rainforest destruction can increase atmospheric carbon dioxide and decrease oxygen, matching choice B.

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