La Selva del Amazonas

The Weekly Report addresses the deterioration of the world's largest tropical forest. The Amazon occupies 40% of the area of ​​South America and is experiencing a historic drought, the damage of which is evident. It has lost 20% of its original size. As Andrea Encalada, vice-chancellor of the University of San Francisco in Quito, mentions, "there will be a complete change in the type of forest we have. It could even transform from a humid tropical forest into a savannah, which means a huge loss of biodiversity. In addition, its destruction has a global impact." The Amazon regulates global temperature and hydrological cycles, hence the importance of monitoring its condition as the Dubai Climate Summit is about to begin.
According to William Magnusson, from the National Institute for Amazonian Research, "the important thing is that it is a carbon sink, and if we release this carbon into the atmosphere, we will worsen the situation of climate change. But the most important thing about the forest is that it recycles water, if we cut down the trees, this function will be interrupted." Wildfires, uncontrolled deforestation and the impact of illegal activities are rapidly deteriorating the Amazon. The Amazon is no longer what it once was, there are areas that are irreversible and others that are rapidly approaching a point of no return. This would occur when, for example, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted is greater than that absorbed. Studies estimate that this will happen in about 25 years.