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On the Surface
Lava in large enough amounts can change the surface of the planet. The Siberian Traps are an area in Siberia where lava covered a large portion of earth and subsequently cooled. The event that formed the Siberian Traps happened more than 250 million years ago, which also coincides with a mass extinction event that killed more than 90 percent of all life on the planet.
Soil Benefits
While volcanic eruptions can destroy hundreds of square miles of vegetation around it, they can also benefit the land. Volcanic ash makes the ground it reaches more fertile, allowing new plants to grow in the place of the old plants.
Acid Rain
When a volcano erupts, the cloud resulting from the eruption can contain such substances as hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride and sulfur dioxide. If this kind of cloud goes up high enough and combines with the water in the atmosphere, it can cause acid rain to fall. Acid rain has the potential to kill off not only plants, but also animals. This can have resulting effects on the human population as well: if too many crops and livestock die, then a famine could ensue.
Greenhouse Effect
Eruptions also result in large amounts carbon dioxide going into the air. Carbon dioxide adds to a phenomenon called the greenhouse effect, which keeps Earth warm by trapping the planet's own heat within its atmosphere. However, too much carbon dioxide in the air could potentially make the planet grow too warm and have potentially harmful effects.
Atmospheric Haze
The ash and gases from volcanoes also cause an effect called atmospheric haze, where particles in the air keep sunlight from getting through the atmosphere and reaching the earth. This occurrence can actually cause the planet's temperature to decrease. The 1815 eruption of Tambora in Indonesia caused a widespread cooling of the earth, resulting in agricultural problems from snow falling late into the summer in Europe, causing many to deem 1816 "the year without a summer."