Natural and Human Threats to the Amazon’s Ecological Treasure

Rapid rise in global warming is expected to get worse as the world’s most important natural land sink for carbon dioxide – the Amazon rainforest – is facing threat from both natural and anthropogenic causes. On the one hand, the forest is being affected by drought while another threat to its ecological treasure lies ahead in the form of the human quest for fossil fuels.

Continual research on the Amazon rainforest, recently recapitulated in an international study led by Professor Oliver Phillips of the University of Leeds, has found an alarming rate of increase in the incidence of ‘tree deaths’ due to drought. According to the research, involving more than the 60 scientists from over 40 institutions in 13 countries, the CO2-absorbing capacity of the forest is steadily declining as drought is causing the death of more trees each year. This is particularly the case with Amazon’s palm trees, which are highly sensitive to dry climate.

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Greenhouse Effect, Carbon Dioxide, and the ‘Death’ of Oceans

‘Global warming is largely irreversible for the coming 1000 years even if the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are stopped at once.’ This conclusion of a recent study at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), USA, can potentially dampen the proactive spirit of environmental remediation by eco-friendly individuals and groups. But then, we need to ask, ‘what happens if we don’t stop the alarming level of CO2 emissions at once. An unbearably hot planet may be the common answer but at least some of us now know that our marine environment may also become ‘dead’.

A global rise in sea level has long been predicted by researchers investigating the long-term effects of greenhouse emissions and global warming. Lately, over 150 scientists have warned against the threat of the acidification of oceans due to an increased buildup of CO2 in the atmosphere. Since oceans are one of largest natural sinks for CO2, marine waters are more rapidly growing acidic by dissolution of CO2 in ocean waters, forming carbonic acid. In addition, part of the acidification of marine waters comes from precipitation from atmosphere (what we know as ‘acid rains’). Increased acidification of marine waters poses a serious threat to marine life and the food web. In fact, acidification of oceans has already stared to affect colonies of marine organisms, e.g. the coral buildups like the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.

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