The Amazon Rainforest: How Is It Threatened and Why Is It Important?

The Amazon Rainforest is the largest rainforest in the world, home to 427 mammal species, 1,300 bird species, 378 reptile species, over 400 amphibian species, and 30 million people. It’s also a massive carbon sink, pulling an amount of CO2 out of the atmosphere that’s equivalent to around three years worth of global emissions. But due to cattle ranching and soybean farming among other industries, the Amazon is being chopped down at breakneck speeds, spelling danger for the climate, millions of plants and animals, the economy, and the livelihoods of Indigenous communities that live there. Today, we cover why the Amazon is so important, in what ways it’s threatened, and where we could go from here. With special guest Dr. Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert: Lecturer in Global Forest Ecology at the University of Birmingham.