Amazon

The Amazon is the planet's largest remaining rainforest, teeming with more wildlife than anywhere else on Earth. But this majestic rainforest is caught between the twin destructive forces of deforestation and climate change. Greenpeace is campaigning for an end to deforestation in the Amazon by 2015 and globally by 2020.

The Amazon is a vast and majestic rainforest teeming with an estimated quarter of all known land species. The jaguar, the pink river dolphin, the sloth, the world's largest flower, a monkey the size of a toothbrush and a spider the size of a baseball are just a few of the species that we know about - there are many more yet to be discovered.

It is also home to over 20 million people including hundreds of indigenous peoples, some of which have never been contacted by the 'outside world'.

And finally, the Amazon stores 80 to 120 billion tonnes of carbon, helping to stabilise the planet's climate.

The latest updates

 

Dam collapse in Brazil destroys towns and turns river into muddy wasteland

Blog entry by Bruno Weis | 17 November, 2015 9 comments

On Thursday, November 5th, two dams holding millions of cubic meters of mining waste gave way – launching one of the worst environmental disasters in Brazilian history. Over 25,000 Olympic swimming pools worth of mud –...

Forest fires in Brazil

Image gallery | 28 October, 2015

Indigenous lands are going up in smoke in the Amazon - because of illegal logging

Blog entry by Luana Lila | 24 October, 2015

In just two months, fire has consumed over 45 percent of the Amazon rainforest in the Arariboia Indigenous Land – an area of protected forest that is home to thousands of people. And despite their efforts, the fire continues to rage...

1.4 million Brazilians just stood up for Zero Deforestation

Blog entry by Maïa Booker | 20 October, 2015 3 comments

It was an historic moment. After three years of campaigning, a coalition of activists, celebrities and civil society representatives crowded into the Brazilian Congress last week. They were there to submit a bill calling for an end to...

The Amazon’s Tapajos Basin is in danger

Blog entry by Maïa Booker | 30 September, 2015 2 comments

The Brazilian government is currently gearing up to build dozens of energy-producing megadams in the Amazon. São Luiz do Tapajos will be one of the largest – second only to Belo Monte. If it is built, it will devastate the rich...

26 - 30 of 323 results.

 

 

Categories
Tags