Changing the type of vegetation in a region impacts the local temperature by changing how much sunlight gets reflected back into space, called
albedo, and how much heat is lost by evaporation. For instance, the change from a dark
forest to grassland makes the surface lighter, causing it to reflect more sunlight. Humans change the land surface mainly to create more
agricultural land.
[70] Since the pre-industrial era, albedo has increased due to land use change, which has a cooling effect on the planet. Other processes linked to land use change however have had the opposite effect, so that the net effect remains unclear.
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