The Amazon is a vast rainforest of incredible ancient trees. It covers approximately 2.3 million square miles in South America – roughly the size of 48 states in the US - and represents more than 40 per cent of tropical forests on Earth.
It is a region that is vital for the equilibrium of our common home. All the lush, diverse fauna helps to filter carbon dioxide and avoid the warming of Earth.
Sadly, the huge diversity of plant life is at high risk. Deforestation, mining and climate change are killing this vital ecosystem. If deforestation continues, the Amazon will lose its ability to produce its own rainfall and the largest rainforest on the planet will become dry grassland.
When the world saw the Amazon burning, people realised we have to change
As time goes by, however, I realise that we are not reacting satisfactorily, because this world that welcomes us is falling apart, and perhaps approaching a breaking point
