Logging and Deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon rainforest plays a vital role in the life of the Earth as well as the lives of tens of millions of people who either directly or indirectly benefit from the rainforest. It has been speculated that without the Amazon, life on Earth as we know it would be very different for the worse. It provides us with a huge amount of biodiversity, fresh water and oxygen, and much, much more. Despite this, humans have continued with the destruction and deforestation of around 17% of the Amazon and another partial devastation of another 17%. If these trends continue, the Earth will suffer the loss of one of its most important ecosystems, responsible for giving us oxygen, storing CO2, providing fresh water to people and our oceans, and many more positives that would be lost.

The above map gives a clear representation of just how bad the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest is. Although it is only a small part of the rainforest, the devastation is clear. Notice how areas in the image from 2014 that had already begun to be logged are expanded on in the image from 2022.

Again, we still continued deforestation in the same areas, this time over a decade. The beautiful, vibrant green from the older image from 2014 on the left is contrasts in a horrifying way with the sudden yellow and brown that takes over the more recent image from 2024. This is yet again another small area of Brazil exposing the destruction of the Amazon rainforest; a destruction that will continue to cause lowered biodiversity, lowered oxygen production, and increased CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere.