Humanity is mercilessly polluting the air and cutting down thousands of trees. Ultimately, this leads to the fact that our planet is gradually dying. To be convinced of this, it is enough to read the reports of scientists on the state of the environment. In 2019, staff at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London announced that more than 500 plant species had already been erased from the face of the earth, and that number is gradually increasing. Now scientists say that in 50 years from our planet, the rainforests of the Amazon may disappear. Together with them, the animals living in them may perish, because instead of a tropical forest, an arid desert will remain.
A disappointing forecast was published in the scientific journal Nature Communications. According to scientists, the reasons for the disappearance of the Amazon rainforest will be global warming and human damage to the environment. According to the United Nations, since the mass transition of mankind from manual to machine labor, the air temperature on ours has risen by as much as 1.5 degrees Celsius. Since we have not yet switched to electric transport and the air continues to be polluted by greenhouse gases, the air continues to heat up.
How are forests destroyed?
It is believed that the largest tropical forest is located precisely on the territory of the Amazon River. According to scientists, the forest occupies 5.5 million square meters and covers the territory of nine states. The once thriving forest, full of a variety of plants and animals, began to perish around 1970. It is believed that about 20% of the huge rainforest was destroyed at that time. And the fact is that people cut down trees to produce lumber, extract palm oil and catch wild animals.
Humanity is destroying forests not only directly, but also indirectly. We have already mentioned that the air temperature on our planet is gradually increasing, as a result of which forest fires often occur. 2019 was especially memorable in this regard, when fire engulfed the forests of Siberia and Australia, also affecting the rainforests of the Amazon. So people need to be prepared for a fire in the forests to prevent it from spreading.
Amazon forests hit hard by wildfires in 2019
Who lives in the Amazon?
If the Amazon forests are truly destroyed in 50 years, many animals could lose their natural habitats. For example, capybaras, which are considered the largest rodents, growing up to 70 kilograms, may well disappear from the face of our planet. However, they can sometimes be found in South America, but still, most of these rodents prefer the warm and humid surroundings of the Amazon River.
Capybaras are considered extremely cute animals.
Also in the forests of the Amazon you can find jaguars, which are considered the third largest representatives of the feline family after lions and tigers. They can also be found in South America, but people do not allow them to live peacefully there. Therefore, most carnivorous cats prefer to live in the dense forests of the Amazon, where people cannot safely hunt them. But if the rainforests disappear, jaguars will lose their second habitat in a row. They will become defenseless in front of hunters and may soon become extinct too.
Also, due to the destruction of the Amazon forests, black caimans can become extinct. In essence, they are alligators "at maximum speed", because their body length can reach 6 meters, and their body weight is often about 500 kilograms. These dangerous predators were already on the verge of extinction in the 1970s, because they were actively hunted for their meat and expensive leather. Fortunately, over time, their population has recovered, but now their lives may be in danger too.