CLIMATE CHANGE
Who Cares About Rainforests?
Keeping rainforests standing could be our best strategy for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
I used to work for a non-profit dedicated to conserving the Amazon Rainforest. During that year, I learned much about the importance of rainforests as biodiversity hotspots, resources for local populations and indigenous people, and climate regulators. I learned how losing the Amazon could devastate the climate worldwide. But most importantly, I understood that halting deforestation and keeping rainforests alive could be our last and most important tool for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Climate change is one of the main threats to our planet and society. Rising global temperatures disrupt weather patterns, leading to more frequent and severe heatwaves, droughts, floods, and wildfires. These extreme events displace populations, threaten food security, and damage infrastructure. Melting glaciers and ice sheets cause sea levels to rise, inundating coastal areas and displacing millions. Urgent action is needed to curb greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate.
Here’s how keeping rainforests standing acts as a powerful shield against a warming world.
