What Are The Overlook Of Environmental Issues In The Amazon Rainforest

In chapter one, “A View from the South,” gives us an overlook of environmental issues in Latin America and the Caribbean. Specifically, the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, faces a lot of environmental issues such as, deforestation, acid rain and air pollution. Other countries like, Peru, Dominican Republic and Mexico, have similar environmental issues that Brazil is facing. The Amazon rainforest in Brazil is one of the world’s largest tropical rainforest that expands through Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and other South American countries. It is the home of ten percent known species and twenty percent of bird species. According to Peter Winn, “It is the “lungs of the world,” supplying one third of the earth’s oxygen and one fifth of the planets fresh water…”flywheel of

During 1988-1991, there was a decline in deforestation but, in 1993-1998 there was an increase in deforestation and economic growth. The result of deforestation involved clearing for cattle pasture, commercial agriculture and other activities. In the 1966 to 1975, cattle pasture caused thirty-eight percent of deforestation and now it’s up to sixty percent. According to Latin Times, Brazil saw a rise of twenty-eight percent in deforestation from August of 2012 to July of 2013. During that one year, there was an estimate of 2,255 miles of cleared land due to deforestation.

The third largest extent of tropical rainforest is located in Peru. Peru loses between 224,000 and 300,000 hectares of forest per year, which results in 0.35-0.5 percent of annual deforestation. Like Brazil, deforestation in Peru is caused by commercial agriculture, mining, road construction and logging. Logging in Peru is illegal, but because the wood has so much value, traffickers decide to cut the trees. Road construction is a threat to the southeastern part of Peru because road improvement can cause colonization and subsequent deforestation like in