we know the amazon rainforest is a pivotal part of earth's ecosystem and losing it will
be devastating to the planet we've already lost 20 percent and scientists warn that the rainforest
is coming uncomfortably close to a tipping point where an irreversible change in the climate system
could transform this luscious landscape into a dry savanna-like ecosystem which would be huge
the amazon basin spans over 6 million square kilometers and is home to one-fifth of the
world's land species it also supports the 30 million people who live and depend on the land as
a source of food medicine and shelter that's not even including the key role it plays in regulating
the regional and global climate trees absorb water through their roots and transport it to their
leaves where it's released as water vapor through small pores in a process called transpiration
as the water vapor rises and condenses it forms rain clouds over the forest canopy basically the
rainforest is making its own weather for example one large tree can release 1 000 liters of water
into the atmosphere in a single day the rainforest recycles this water up to six times before it
moves out of the region but as more trees are cut down those that remain may not be able to recycle
enough water to survive fewer trees means more sunlight will hit the forest floor exposing the
forest to higher temperatures since deforestation began accelerating in the 1970s 800 000 square
kilometers of the amazon have been lost and over that same period the average temperature of the
basin has risen by one degree celsius scientists are concerned that if deforestation continues for
another 10 to 15 years the eastern and southern amazon will turn into a savannah not only would
losing the rainforest mean a drastic change in this weather system but remember the amazon is
also a well-known and excellent carbon sink this means that its trees suck carbon dioxide right out
of the air and store it in their biomass through photosynthesis an estimated 136 to 181 billion
metric tons of carbon are stored this way helping to slow the rate of global warming but scientists
have found evidence that the amazon could flip from being a carbon sink to a carbon source if
unchecked deforestation continues some estimates show that this is already happening in one fifth
of the amazon and yet deforestation continues between august 2018 and july 2019 tree loss
has increased to more than ten thousand square kilometers the largest rate in roughly a decade
with scaled-back environmental protections in the region commercial operations like farming and
logging are expected to continue growing the rate of deforestation at present fires are typically
set to clear the land for these practices in fact an estimated 90 of the amazon fires in 2019 were
intentionally set releasing roughly 392 million metric tons of co2 into the air and in just the
first eight months of 2020 fires added around 226 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the air
the equivalent of nearly 50 million cars this is where the scientists forecast comes in according
to their study if deforestation reaches 20 to 25 percent of the amazon it will flip to a dry
savanna the reality check is that we're almost there current deforestation is at a frightening 17
across the entire amazon basin and approaching 20 in the brazilian amazon so at this point
you're probably wondering we're at our limits and what can even be done well don't lose hope last
september a motivated group of scientists formed the science panel for the amazon their plan is to
produce a scientific assessment by 2021 to propose solutions to help secure the forest's future
there are also ambitious reforestation projects in areas like abandoned cattle ranches
these reforested areas make up about 23 of destroyed forests and can absorb carbon
11 times faster than the trees that once stood there so there is a glimmer of hope and remember
unlike the 2019 to 2020 forest fires in australia and california that were fueled by climate change
more than 90 percent of fires in the amazon were set by people which means that we actually have
the power to stop them by changing our behaviors we can tip the scale in our favor and avoid the
savannah-like conditions that scientists say are quickly approaching but that's just a projection
it won't become a reality unless we let it the climate crisis is here and we're here to cover
it let us know what other stories you'd like to learn more about down in the comments subscribe
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