The Intelligence from The Economist Clear-cut risks: the Amazon degrades
Aug 8, 2019
Sarah Maslin, Brazil correspondent for The Economist, shines a light on the urgent deforestation crisis in the Amazon. She reveals how Brazil's government policies are encouraging this environmental calamity, risking the transformation of the rainforest into a savanna. Maslin discusses the dire global consequences of this shift, emphasizing the need for immediate action to protect biodiversity and climate stability. Additionally, the podcast touches on the political struggles in Malaysia, where reform seems stalled despite a change in government.
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Amazon's Importance and Risk
- The Amazon rainforest, crucial for global climate and biodiversity, faces deforestation.
- President Bolsonaro's policies accelerate this destruction, risking ecological collapse.
Amazon's Tipping Point
- The Amazon generates its own rain through a water recycling system.
- Deforestation disrupts this cycle, potentially turning the rainforest into a savanna.
Tipping Point Timeline and Consequences
- The Amazon's tipping point, estimated at 20-25% deforestation, could be reached in 15-30 years.
- Passing this point would make the Amazon's decline irreversible, releasing stored carbon and worsening global warming.