The Amazon is our future
All Eyes on the Amazon
• • • • • • • April 2025 • • • • • • •
It has been said, “As goes the Amazon Rainforest, so goes the health of the earth’s climate.” It stores as much as 150-200 billion tons of carbon — to showcase its importance. Also, the Amazon Rainforest releases 20 billion tons of water into the atmosphere daily when it is healthy.
HOW LARGE IS THE AMAZON RAINFOREST?
This is all changing fast. In the last 50 years, the Amazon Rainforest has lost land equivalent to the size of Texas. Originally, the rainforest was, in total, the size of Australia. Typically, pasture and farmland have replaced the wildlands. Coincidentally, or because of this, the Amazon River is experiencing the worst drought in the river’s recorded history. Today, the Rio Negro is 25 feet lower than its typical depth. That means many people who live on boats on the river are landlocked. People living there, who used to fish for food, are now forced to dig for water instead.
When the Rule of Law is firmly reestablished in Brazil, the Amazon Rainforest will have a better chance of survival. We can only hope that the world community will pay attention to the politics in Brazil until then.”
WHAT A HEALTHY RAINFOREST PROVIDES
When the Amazon Rainforest is healthy, it breathes in CO2 stored in the leaves, trunk, and roots while performing photosynthesis. Today, it stores as much as 150 billion metric tons of carbon. However, CO2 can also be stored in the soil as duff from decaying vegetation. So roughly half the CO2 is stored in the soil, and the other half is stored in the forest’s trees. When all this CO2 adds up in the Amazon Rainforest, it accounts for 20% of the CO2 on the planet. When the rainforest is healthy, one molecule of water vapor can be recycled five to eight times. The rainforest is cooler when the Amazon Forest climate engine is working smoothly.
WHAT HAVE WE LOST?
17% of the Amazon Rainforest is gone — that was according to 2013 estimates. When 20% to 25% of the rainforest is gone, we’ll see further deterioration of the rainforest. Today, it seems we have reached that threshold; with the fires that are part of the deforestation process, the Amazon rainforest is creating more CO2 than it absorbs.
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES?
The warming atmosphere creates more extended droughts and dry periods, resulting in less rainfall in the Amazon Rainforest. More trees die off. That adds to the climate becoming warmer. As trees disappear, the ground that stores water vapor becomes drier. The Amazon Rainforest could become a simple grassland habitat when tree cover decline reaches its threshold. At that point, local rainfall would decrease by 30%, which could affect areas as far away as Columbia or Argentina. “Today, global temperatures continue to rise, with the 10 most recent years being the warmest on record, and 2024 being the first year to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.” (Google AI Overview)WHAT CAN WE DO?
To solve this crisis, we must reforest some of the degraded rainforest.
The most important thing for the health of this forest is indigenous peoples’ rights. Studies show that lands stewarded by Indigenous peoples suffer less deforestation. We must protect and defend them so that they can protect and maintain the Amazon Rainforest. That applies to our forests here in California. Protecting their rights can protect the climate for all of us.
CORRUPTION IN THE BRAZILIAN GOVERNMENT
A coup occurred in Brazil after the presiding President, Jair Bolsonaro, lost his election, and numerous murder plots have been alleged, including poisoning the newly elected President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro is counting on his son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, to win the next election to help him stay out of jail. Because of the similarities to the USA’s attempted coup, Bolsonaro is said to be counting on Donald Trump to step in and help him, but Trump has not answered his request so far.When the Rule of Law is firmly reestablished in Brazil, the Amazon Rainforest will have a better chance of survival. We can only hope that the world community will pay attention to the politics in Brazil until then.
Glenn Rogers, RLA,
President, Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods (CSFN)
April 2025
