A River Doesn’t Run Through It

The Amazon is a global treasure, and is often called, “the lungs of the planet.” It is home to the greatest variety of life on Earth. For decades, deforestation has plagued the Amazon, and now global warming is delivering another lethal blow. The Amazon is experiencing the worst drought in more than 40 years, and experts believe that global warming and massive deforestation are to blame.

An average 5,800 square miles of the Amazon rainforest – the size of the state of Connecticut - is clearcut or burned every year, but a new satellite study has revealed the damage is far worse than once believed. That’s because satellite imagery is able to reveal the impact of selective logging, where valuable trees such as mahogany are illegally harvested within otherwise pristine forest. According to the study, selective logging has doubled the rate of deforestation within the Amazon.

But this troubling discovery is not the only disturbing news for the Amazon. The drought threatens the long-term survival of the rainforest.

The Amazon River, the largest river in the Western hemisphere, is being reduced to a trickle in places, grinding the entire region to a halt. The people of the Amazon rely on the river and its many tributaries for everything from food to transportation. Massive fish kills now line what used to be river banks, and area residents are driving cars down dried river beds.

The Amazon basin is home to more than 2,500 species of fish, more than the entire Atlantic Ocean. Today, many of those fish are drying in river beds, the future of their species unknown. Already, manatees and river dolphins have been killed, and the situation threatens to worsen.

The rainforest, already devasted by last year’s heavy logging – the second highest on record – is now subjected to wildfires. The rains that ordinarily create this lush landscape have evaporated, and along with them, the chances of survival for this biological wonderland. If the situation is prolonged, the forest may give way to savannah in a rapid change of the environment.

According to Kert Davies, Greenpeace Research Director, "Adding insult to injury, the bare ground heats up in the tropical sun and creates more hot dry air, amplifying the drought. Once a drought like this gets going, it’s hard to snap out of it, its roots grow deeper and deeper."

In a devastating cycle, if the rainforest turns to desert, the impacts of global warming will only intensify. Rather than creating 20% of the world’s oxygen, the remnants of the forest would actually contribute to the release of carbon dioxide that is causing global warming. In fact, billions of tons of carbon is stored in the Amazon, and if it is released into the atmosphere, it would cause more global warming pollution than all of the world’s industries combined.

This year has seen terrible new evidence of global warming, from strengthened hurricanes to arctic melting. The Amazon drought is only the latest disturbing impact in a growing trend. What more will it take for Bush to recognize the signs and take action?