It is often remarked, and with some truth, that the Amazon Rainforest are the Lungs of the World. It is the largest tropical rainforest on the planet and covers more than 2.3 million square miles. It is reported that it contains over 10% of all the animal and plant species in the world. With the problem of climate change, carbon capture is of vital importance. The Amazon has captured over 100 billion tons of carbon from polluting the atmosphere. It is able to flourish partly because of the estimated 70 inches of rainfall it receives each year.
However, it is under extreme threat. This threat comes from two sources. The first is climate change, which we humans are responsible for creating. The second is deforestation, which is again down to humans. Part of this latter problem is legal deforestation, but the majority is caused by criminals, who are primarily driven by profit, no matter the cost.
You may think that this is not a big problem, considering the size of the rainforest. However, in just one year, 2024, over 11,000 square miles of forest were cut down. A recent research team reported that unless something is done to change these things very soon, the Amazon could reach its “tipping point”. This would be a catastrophe for the whole world. If things do not change, the whole of the rainforest could be gone within 100 years. Instead of a forest, we would be left with grassland. And this would make the effects of climate change much worse.
This research only focused on one region of the rainforest, so it is possible the results might vary, but whichever, they will be serious. What is more, the tipping point could come earlier if certain criteria become a fact. These criteria are believed to be that if deforestation reaches 65% of the forest, a 6% decrease in annual rainfall or a 10% reduction in the moisture reaching the coastline. This latter one is because a reduction at the coast results in a drying up of the interior.
The only solution is to tackle both of these threats as soon as possible. Illegal deforestation must be stopped, and legal deforestation must be curbed. We already know that climate change and global warming also have to be controlled. If we don’t, we will all suffer greatly.
John Pullen 