Wed Sep 25 08:23:10 UTC 2024: ## Amazon Rainforest Loses Area the Size of Germany and France to Deforestation, Fueling Record Wildfires
**South America, [Date]**: The Amazon rainforest, a vital carbon sink crucial to fighting climate change, has lost an area equivalent to the size of Germany and France combined to deforestation over the past four decades, according to experts. This alarming loss, primarily due to mining and agriculture, has led to a record number of wildfires this year, releasing massive amounts of carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.
The research, conducted by RAISG, a collective of researchers and NGOs, reveals that 12.5% of the Amazon’s plant cover has disappeared from 1985 to 2023, totaling 88 million hectares of lost forest across nine South American countries. This deforestation has created vast expanses of pastureland, soybean fields, and gold mining craters, disrupting the ecosystem’s climate regulation and hydrological cycle.
Scientists warn that the loss of vegetation directly contributes to severe droughts and wildfires across South America. The Copernicus atmosphere monitoring service reported the Amazon and Pantanal fires as the worst in nearly two decades, while the World Weather Attribution network confirmed the link between climate change and the increased risk and severity of these fires.
The drought has pushed Amazon rivers to their lowest levels in decades, threatening the livelihoods of millions living on their banks. Fires are raging out of control in Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay, and Peru. Ecuador, heavily reliant on hydroelectric power, is facing severe energy shortages due to the worst drought in six decades, leading to rolling blackouts and a state of emergency.
Amnesty International, in an open letter to seven Latin American nations, urges leaders to take urgent action to prevent a climate catastrophe. The NGO calls for a shift away from fossil fuels and industrial agriculture, alongside the protection of Indigenous territories and environmental defenders. While some countries, like Brazil, have seen a slowdown in deforestation, many others are falling short.
This crisis highlights the urgent need for global collaboration and decisive action to combat deforestation, mitigate climate change, and protect the invaluable Amazon rainforest.
First Piper 