What is one byproduct of slash-and-burn clearing of the rain forest that is harming the atmosphere?

It has been estimated that ‘slash and burn’ agriculture is used by up to 500 million people worldwide. The term describes the practice of cutting and/or burning of natural vegetation for conversion into agricultural fields. Besides the disastrous implications for forest ecosystems, the practice can impact the atmosphere in two main ways if burning is implemented. Firstly by causing air pollution from the smoke, and secondly by increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is a greenhouse gas and a driver of climate change. Living trees also remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis, and the process of ‘slash and burn’ effectively removes their carbon capturing contributions to ameliorating climate change.