As the Amazon goes, so goes the Earth.  Studies reveal that in the last 40 years alone, we have lost 25% of the Amazon rainforest. This deforestation has brought not only famine to the Amazonians due to the loss of native animals and fruits but is also impacting the global environment with countries around the world reporting extreme weather conditions. In America, parts of the country are experiencing exceptional drought, blistering heat waves, and out-of-control wildfires, while other areas are dealing with an increased number of tornadoes, flooding, and hurricanes.

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Through a process called transpiration, a large, mature tree in the Amazon can release more than 100 gallons of water per day to the atmosphere where it condenses to become clouds. Thanks to the winds and the rotation of the earth, these clouds travel around the globe protecting us against the UV light and heat of the sun and serving as the most important source of rain around the world. Studies show that if we continue in our current path of consumption without reforesting, the Amazon will be gone in less than 100 years, eliminating the planet’s greatest source of oxygen and rain, the most powerful protection from the sun’s damaging rays, and the most efficient remover of carbon dioxide. 

 

The deforestation of the Peruvian Amazon has not only compromised the world ecosystem contributing to global warming but also has devastated the quality of life of its inhabitants. In recent years, the Amazon has become a center of illegal logging and mining, cocaine production, sex trafficking, and narco-terrorism. Without the forest, Peruvian Amazonians have no way to earn a living without working in undesirable jobs like prostitution or Coca farming, or working as or with drug dealers, terrorists, and criminals.