GNO -Amazon – the “most powerful” rain forest in the world is being “weakened” to an alarming extent. If the Amazon rainforest were to disappear completely, this loss would have a serious and enormous impact on our planet.

The Amazon rainforest spans parts of many countries such as Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador, Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Surinam and Venezuela, but 60% of the forest spread across Brazil is lost to deforestation in the past few decades.

The Amazon forest contains 10% of the species of plants and animals that still exist on earth. About 30 million people call it home with 2.7 million being an indigenous minority. Forests store 100 billion tons of carbon, according to the World Wildlife Organization, which filters carbon dioxide from the air we breathe and controls the climate through evapotranspiration.

Amazon – the “most powerful” rain forest in the world is being “weakened” to an alarming extent

If the Amazon forest disappears, people and the planet will face great damage:

1 – Unstable rainfall

A study published in Nature in 2012 found that the Amazon is responsible for distributing rain to the surrounding area, and that “deforestation can reduce rainfall over a large area even if rainfall increases in the region itself.” there is deforestation,” Scientific American reports .

In addition, deforestation could significantly reduce rainfall in unforested areas of southern Brazil, where agriculture is rich, as well as Paraguay and Uruguay.

2 – More drought

Less rain has led to a lack of drinking water, and the recent drought in Sao Paulo is attributed to Amazon’s “anger” due to deforestation. Less rain also means less water for agriculture. Rainfall in the Amazon forest provides water for soybean farmers and cow ranchers who are burning forests, according to National Geographic .

Droughts will get worse as trees are cut down, threatening food and water supplies.

3 – Increased greenhouse gas

National Geographic asserts, cutting down trees in the Amazon forest will lead to an increase in greenhouse gases, making the earth warmer.

Rainforest researcher Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert said that if the Amazon forest was damaged, the amount of carbon dioxide would rise very high and everyone would suffer the consequences: increasingly poor air quality, heat global level increased.

4 – More floods

Rainfall in the Amazon has decreased by 25% in some areas and when it rains again will cause flooding.

Not only the rainfall, but the climate of the whole region will also change uncontrollably and the consequences will be even more unpredictable when the Amazon forest disappears.

5 – Loss of biodiversity

The Amazon forest is home to many species of animals, insects, plants, fungi that still exist on earth; On average, a new species is discovered here every day.

In 2012, The Guardian sounded the alarm about threatened and endangered species due to plummeting birth rates and fiercer competition for food.

Destruction of the Amazon forest means a loss of biodiversity, and at the same time affects the entire ecosystem. In fact, some animals may become extinct within the next few decades.

6 – Reduces the possibility of medical treatment

Why should humans worry about the loss or extinction of species? Because they contribute to cancer medicine, according to National Geographic .

The Tropical Rainforest Fund clearly states on its website that: nearly 90% of human diseases can be cured from drugs derived from forests and nature such as snake venom, fungi, shrubs, .. . are all native to the Amazon forest.

And we don’t know for sure how this loss will affect human treatment.

7 – Larger and longer-lasting wildfires

Loss of Amazonian trees leads to a loss of rainfall and increased dryness, which easily leads to wildfires. Fires will be larger than before and take longer to extinguish.

Wildfires will also release more carbon into the atmosphere, worsening adverse climate conditions such as making the climate hotter and hotter.

8 – More people are poor

The Amazon forest is not only home to animals and plants, but also home to many people whose livelihoods depend on the forest.

All of the world’s tropical rainforests provide food security, energy, income and medicinal plants to millions of people .

And as the forest area decreases, the number of people who depend on the forest will become poorer. Without forests, they migrate to big cities or richer countries to find work. This loss is similar to the loss of coastlines globally due to pollution.