In the last century, we as humans, have solidified our role as the most destructive species to ever live on Earth. Taking a step back and viewing humankind from an outside perspective illuminates our deplorable acts as we continually subdivide the planet that has given us all we need to advance and prosper. We have committed so many acts of planetary treason, yet deforestation of the Amazon may be the most horrible.
The Amazon Rainforest is a huge habitat for a wide array of all types of organisms including highly intelligent primates and dolphins.
Most people, including me, struggle to comprehend the absolute importance of the Amazon rainforest to innumerable aspects of life on Earth. The Amazon rainforest contains over half of the remaining rainforests worldwide. Appropriately nicknamed the ‘Lungs of the Planet‘, the immense size of this forest accounts for 20% of the oxygen produced into our atmosphere. To me, the most astonishing truth about the Amazon is that it is home to half of all of the species of plants and animals that live on Earth. Considering the Amazon is so dense, vast and teeming with untold biodiversity, its clear that unexplored regions far outweigh those where humans have ventured. It is exhilarating, and unimaginable to think how many organisms are still left to discover in this prosperous ecosystem. To this day, tribes people still exist in the Amazon remaining untouched by modern civilization. It is speculated that roughly 25% of the ingredients in modern medicine and up to 80% of the developed-world’s diet originated from the Amazon rainforest.
The Amazon Rainforest is vital to the health of the planet but is being destroyed at an alarming rate.
In the last 50 years, we have decimated nearly 20% of the Amazon for urbanization and agriculture. Now, 20% might not seem too substantial, but that is 300 million aces of land (1.1 million km2) destroyed, while we continue to chop down another 150 acres every minute! At this rate, it is projected that the amazon rainforest could completely vanish within the next 1-2 centuries. This destruction timeline is not a prophecy but a warning. The uncertainty in this projection is reliant on the decisions we make now.
Deforestation is a major contributor to the extinction of up to an astonishing 35 species every day in the Amazon. Obviously, forest loss destroys important habitats and destabilizes the ecosystem. But, what is often overlooked is the negative affect on an expansive number of organisms as the pesticides and fertilizers, along with urban sewage and runoff, pollute the rivers and soil that is vital to the prosperity of the Amazon. We are destroying the Amazon rainforest and it appears we will only realize our crucial oversight when it is too late.
Chief Raoni is a powerful indigenous leader and environmental activist. Since the age of 15 Raoni wears a lip disc to signify he is ready to die for his land.
The Chief of the Kayapo indigenous Amazon people, Raoni Metuktire, is working diligently on a mission to save his home for future generations to respect and replenish. Chief Raoni is a worldwide symbol for the preservation of the natural world and is one of my greatest heroes. Along with the United Nations and environmental activist groups, indigenous people of the Amazon are trying to save one of the most vital environments on the planet. We consider ourselves to be advanced beings yet even when it is blatantly obvious that what we are doing is destructive to us, and all life on Earth, we are unable to stop. Changes need to be made. We must put our greed aside and fix our mistakes before we don’t have the option to.
Joey Krahn
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