Solidarity news and reflections of interest to the Passionist Family The Amazon rainforest is the world’s largest and most biodiverse tropical rainforest, covering an area larger than the continental United States. It houses one-third of the Earth’s plant and animal species and produces one-fifth of all its fresh water. Like all rainforests, it helps regulate the global climate and is vital to maintaining the earth’s fragile balance. Yet at the current rates of deforestation (global deforestation contributes 20-25 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions) nearly 50 percent of the Amazon could be lost or severely degraded by the year 2020, and the vast majority will no longer be in a pristine state. The Amazon is also home to nearly 400 distinct indigenous peoples who depend on the rainforest for their physical and cultural survival. Because we believe that all life is sacred, it is essential that we take action to protect the Amazon and its people. We may be the last generation that has a chance to protect this precious gem of our world’s cultural and ecological heritage – an irreplaceable source of life and inspiration. For a beautiful reminder of this global treasure watch this video from Amazon Watch. (5 minutes)
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