The Amazon is the world’s biggest tropical rainforest. Sitting in the drainage basin of the Amazon river, the forest spans 2,300,000 square miles in northern South America. It absorbs huge amounts of the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming and releases oxygen back into the air. It’s home to over three million species, and to many indigenous peoples who have lived in harmony with the forest for thousands of years.
But human activity and deforestation is systematically destroying the forest and threatening the lives and homes of those who live in it. Land grabbing for industrialized agricultural expansion, logging and mining is causing the rich biodiversity within the forest to tip out of balance.
And, worryingly, these kinds of activities are on the rise. This short video by Down to Earth shows that deforestation of the Amazon reached a record high of 166 square miles in January 2022 alone.
And even more square miles were cleared between January and June 2022 than during the same time last year.
Making a difference
It’s easy to feel that we don’t have much control over the Amazon, but there are things we can all do – like eating less beef and palm oil, choosing responsibly sourced products, and supporting indigenous communities. This great rundown by the Rainforest Foundation suggests some ways we can all make a difference and help protect what’s often called the lungs of the earth.