What would happen without the rainforest?

Burning away the Amazon would condemn millions of living species to extinction and destroy their habitats. Many of these plants, animals, and other forms of life haven’t even been identified by science yet.

Why Amazon rainforest is important?

The Amazon rainforest plays an important part in regulating the world’s oxygen and carbon cycles. It produces roughly six percent of the world’s oxygen and has long been thought to act as a carbon sink, meaning it readily absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Why should we not destroy the Amazon rainforest?

Rainforests are natural air filters. They store and filter excess carbon and other pollutants from the atmosphere and release oxygen through photosynthesis. Without rainforests, our planet is unable to mitigate excess greenhouse gas emissions, which destabilizes the Earth’s climate.

Why is the Amazon rainforest shrinking?

The ever-growing human consumption and population is the biggest cause of forest destruction due to the vast amounts of resources, products, services we take from it. Direct human causes of deforestation include logging, agriculture, cattle ranching, mining, oil extraction and dam-building.

How much of the Amazon rainforest has been destroyed since 1970?

Since 1970, over 700,000 square kilometres (270,000 sq mi) of the Amazon rainforest have been destroyed. In 2001, the Amazon was approximately 5,400,000 square kilometres (2,100,000 sq mi), which is only 87\% of the Amazon’s original size. Rainforests have decreased in size primarily due to deforestation.

What would happen if the Amazon rainforest disappeared?

The latter, in turn, will lead to fires, and more deforestation. A vicious loop would form that would finally harm every life form in the region including humans. Millions of people depend on the Amazon rainforest for their daily source of income. With the forests gone, their livelihood will also be lost.

Is the Amazon’s deforestation bad for the environment?

The boom in forest fires linked to deforestation earlier this year raised concerns worldwide, and in the aftermath, the Amazon’s environmental contribution to our planet has been widely debated.

What will happen if the Amazon is destroyed?

With the destruction of the Amazon, Earth will lose this incredible biodiversity. Many species will vanish before we even come to know of them. Some of them might hold the secrets to miraculous cures. Since every species in an ecosystem is dependent on the other through the food web, loss of one species will lead to the death of the others.

How does deforestation affect the rainforest ecosystem?

The largest rainforest, the Amazon, does this more than any other ecosystem in the world. Plants release water vapor into the atmosphere through evapotranspiration. This water significantly contributes to rainfall. Deforestation will thus decrease rainfall and trigger droughts.