The Dilemma of the Amazon Rainforest
by: Riley Duignan
The Amazon rainforest, the biggest rainforest in the world, is actively on the verge of collapsing due to human hands, faster than we would have anticipated.
Importance of the Amazon rainforest
The Amazon is often argued to be the most important ecosystem in the world, with the most biodiversity in the world, and its role in climate control for the whole world.
The Amazon covers a total of 5.5 million square kilometers of land (2.1 million square miles) and is home to more than 3 million known species in the rainforest, 40,000 of those being plants alone. Plants and trees in the rainforest absorb high amounts of carbon dioxide, which allows the climate to be relatively regulated. CO2 (greenhouse gases) traps heat in the atmosphere from the sun, which ultimately causes temperatures to rise. The Amazon rainforest absorbs around 2 billion tons each year, creating a natural regulation for greenhouse gases. It also houses over 50 million animals in total, which means the rainforest naturally has a large food chain but also a heavy reliance on the plants and ecosystem of the rainforest.
But in the last 50 years, 20% of the rainforest has faced deforestation, and another 38% has experienced degradation from deforestation or selective logging.
What’s done is close to irreversible
As the rainforest continues to face deforestation, most often for the high demand of cattle ranching and overall farming, we come close to an irreversible point. Scientists have predicted that if more than 25% of the rainforest is deforestation, it will be an irreversible point for the Amazon and the planet. If it got to this point, it is estimated that the Amazon would release around 37 billion tons of carbon dioxide; this would cause around a 0.02°C increase in global temperatures. The global temperature is around 1.34 to 1.41°C higher than pre-industrial levels, but it is estimated that if it is above 1.5-2.0°C above pre-industrial levels, there will be an irreversible impact on Earth. If the Earth rises by 2°C, it would cause excessive flooding, droughts, and extensive heat waves. Ocean levels would also rise significantly as glaciers would melt at an even more alarming rate. It would cause flooding, especially in coastal areas and low-lying islands.
Deforestation has also gotten in the way of the Amazon’s natural weather pattern, making it more difficult for the rainforest to receive as much rainfall. In fact, according to mongabay.com, rainfall had decreased by around 21 mm by 2020 and is likely to decrease by around 7 mm by 2035. Deforestation is responsible for around 15.8 mm (74%) of this lack of rainfall. If the forest doesn’t get enough rainfall, it risks large droughts, dried-up rivers, forest fires, and other dire natural disasters. If the Amazon passes this “tipping point” scientists warn about, it is estimated that by 2050, the rainforest could collapse, causing it to become a savanna-like ecosystem.
As of 2021, around 10,000 species risk extinction in the Amazon from ecosystem pullbacks and deforestation, meaning if the rainforest turned into a savanna-like ecosystem, countless species and animals would be unable to survive. If the Amazon turned into an entire savanna-like ecosystem, more than just 37 billion tons of CO₂ would be released; instead, it would be around 90-140 billion tons of CO₂ released into the atmosphere.
But not all hope is lost; Brazil continues to make an effort in trying to restrict logging and deforestation in the Amazon. Many acres of rainforest have been labeled indigenous land, making it nearly impossible to target those areas for illegal (and legal) logging. They have also made laws such as the “Brazilian Forest Code,” which makes landowners in the Amazon dedicate a percentage of the land as a reserve. And another one of the many things the government has also done is create a committee called the “Strategic Committee to Combat Illegal Deforestation,” which quite literally watches and monitors illegal deforestation and forest crimes in the Amazon.
We are not only our own worst enemy but also the earth’s. It’s vital we understand the importance of these vast ecosystems and what they do for us as humans, allowing us to live and flourish. If we are the ones able to hurt ecosystems, we can also help them. There are many ways to help, even from afar, by donating to organizations that stand for deforestation regulation and protecting the Amazon’s natural resources, or just speaking up about it.
Links to help:
https://www.amazonconservation.org/take-action/donate/
https://www.rainforesttrust.org/
https://www.junglekeepers.org/
Sources:
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/amazon-deforestation-and-climate-change/
https://www.weforum.org/stories/2020/02/amazon-deforestation-carbon-sustainability-climate-change/#:~:text=Deforestation%20in%20the%20Amazon%20is%20causing%20parts,have%20lost%20its%20ability%20to%20absorb%20carbon.
https://www.wri.org/insights/amazon-carbon-sink-indigenous-forests#:~:text=Scientists%20estimate%20that%20deforesting%2020,disrupt%20rainfall%20across%20South%20America.
https://www.audubon.org/magazine/amazon-could-soon-transition-dry-savanna-ecosystem
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/14/amazon-rainforest-could-reach-tipping-point-by-2050-scientists-warn#:~:text=If%20these%20trends%20continued%2C%20the,on%20local%20and%20regional%20populations.
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/over-10000-species-risk-extinction-amazon-says-landmark-report-2021-07-14/#:~:text=Over%2010%2C000%20species%20risk%20extinction%20in%20Amazon%2C%20says%20landmark%20report%20%7C%20Reuters
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25233640-800-the-amazon-is-turning-into-savannah-we-have-5-years-to-save-it/#:~:text=A%20few%20years%20later%2C%20a,deliver%20the%20coup%20de%20grace.
Amazon drought cuts river traffic, leaves communities without water and supplies
https://www.cbc.ca/news2/interactives/2degrees/
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-temperature
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-is-the-amazon-so-important-for-climate-change1/#:~:text=Releasing%2C%20say%2C%20120%20billion%20metric,affect%20everybody%2C%E2%80%9D%20she%20adds.
https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/deforestation-in-the-amazon-rainforest
Human Activity Has Degraded More Than a Third of the Remaining Amazon Rainforest, Scientists Find
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-atmospheric-carbon-dioxide