The End of the Amazon

As if the UN Heritage Committee (see below) needed any further proof to act, British climate scientists are warning that the Amazon could disappear by the end of the Century because of climate change. New research from the world-renown Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, part of the Met Office, has shown how vulnerable the forest is to rising CO2 temperatures and drought.

Last year the Amazon suffered its worst drought in living memory. If this pattern is repeated, the Amazon is in trouble say the scientists. “Last years drought may be a taste of things to come” says Dr. Richard Betts from the Hadley Centre. “It is too early to say whether it is the start of the dry prediction coming true, but if we see a drought like last year’s several years in a row, the forest would not survive.

What happens to the Amazon is vital for the whole world as the Amazon absorbs CO2 and therefore is slowing down climate change. It goes without saying that if the forest dies, climate change would accelerate. It also goes without saying that if this happens, then life would never be the same again. And that is no overstatement.