Amazon Rainforest Close to Point of No Return

People concerned about the health of the planet know that during the tenure of the Brazilian Trump, Bolsanaro, the Amazaon rainforest has suffered increasing despoilation. WWF says in a recent report that the biome, an important carbon sink and oxygen producer, could disappear altogether soon, if drastic action is not taken to rescue it. The report was released at Sharm-El Sheikh where the COP27 is being held. Ranching, minning and land speculation and wildfires have destroyed 18% of the forest and degraded another 17%. Currently there are more than 600 development projects and twenty road projects planned within the region. About 4.7 million square miles were cleared last year alone. 

Peruvian forest destroyed by gold mining,
credit R. Butler

The tipping point would bring a irreversable transition from wet forest to dry sahvanna. Clear signs of this transition is already visible in Brazil and Bolivia. The threshold is considered by some experts to be between 20 and 25%. The Amazon current recycles 75% of the moisture it produces. A dry savannah biome cannot perform this vital climatic function. Precipitation will drop drastically, further altering the world's climate conditions and contribution to more wildfires. 500 indiginous tribes that live in the forest will lose their tradtional homes. The report noted that these people will play a crtical role in preserving native vegetation. Saving the rainforest will require massive committment from both governments and corporations currently exploiting this invaluable resource.