What if We Lost The Amazon Rainforest?

WHAT IF

What would happen if we completely lost the Amazon rainforest to the fires?

Transcript

00:00 How long would it take for the world's largest rainforest to burn down?

00:09 If we don't do anything to stop it, we'll soon find out.

00:13 The Amazon rainforest creates 20% of the Earth's oxygen.

00:18 It's home to 30% of the planet's species.

00:22 And it holds the secrets to treating some of our most deadly diseases.

00:27 If we destroy the Amazon rainforest,

00:30 the consequences would be disastrous,

00:34 and they'd be felt all over the world.

00:38 Could we survive without it?

00:41 Why would it have a giant impact on our healthcare?

00:45 And would we ever be able to bring it back?

00:51 This is WHAT IF,

00:53 and here's what would happen if the Amazon rainforest disappeared.

00:59 Recently, massive forest fires have become the biggest threat to the Amazon's survival.

01:05 But unfortunately, the fires are just part of a much bigger problem.

01:11 For example, farming, mining, and logging

01:15 are already responsible for three football fields worth of deforestation per minute.

01:21 If we don't do anything to stop this,

01:23 the Amazon rainforest will disappear eventually,

01:27 and we'd lose any chance we have in the battle against climate change.

01:31 (Music)

01:37 The Amazon rainforest is one of the most incredible places on Earth.

01:41 It covers 40% of South America,

01:44 drives the South American economy,

01:47 and stores 86 billion tons of carbon

01:50 that would otherwise be polluting our atmosphere.

01:53 With an area that's this important,

01:55 you'd think we would do everything in our power to protect it.

01:59 But we don't.

02:01 Since 1978,

02:03 an estimated 750,000 square kilometers of rainforest have been destroyed,

02:09 all thanks to humans.

02:11 If this trend continues,

02:13 the Amazon rainforest could disappear within 100 years.

02:17 How bad would that be for our planet?

02:20 Well, let's take a look.

02:22 For starters, we'd be losing a huge amount of our planet's biodiversity.

02:27 The Amazon rainforest has more plant and animal species

02:30 than any other terrestrial ecosystem on Earth.

02:34 If we destroy the Amazon,

02:36 we'll be destroying all that diversity too,

02:38 and wiping out an entire ecosystem at the same time.

02:42 That would have huge effects on Earth.

02:45 We'd all quickly realize how much we've been relying on the Amazon's resources

02:50 for food and medicine.

02:52 Most people are surprised when they find out

02:55 that hundreds of prescription drugs

02:57 have come from things in the Amazon rainforest.

03:00 We're not just talking about simple herbal remedies either.

03:03 We're talking about full-fledged cancer-fighting drugs

03:07 that are so important

03:09 that they've been classified as essential medicines by the World Health Organization.

03:13 And we haven't even scratched the surface yet.

03:16 Scientists estimate that they've studied less than 5% of the plants in the rainforest

03:21 for potential medicinal benefits.

03:23 So who knows what other essential treatments we could lose without the rainforest.

03:29 But the most critical problem we'd face if the Amazon completely disappeared

03:33 would be a faster pace of climate change.

03:37 If the Amazon rainforest continues to wither and die,

03:41 it will stop being a source of oxygen.

03:43 Instead, it will begin to give off carbon,

03:46 which we all know is fueling climate change.

03:49 Right now, the Amazon has a natural stockpile of carbon reserves,

03:54 anywhere from 90 to 140 billion tons of the stuff.

03:58 If we woke up tomorrow and found the Amazon destroyed,

04:02 especially by fire,

04:04 all that carbon would be floating in the atmosphere.

04:07 Some experts believe that if this happens,

04:10 we would lose the battle against climate change.

04:13 But it's not all doom and gloom.

04:17 There is still hope for the Amazon rainforest.

04:20 Through studies conducted over the past several decades,

04:23 researchers have found that tropical forests

04:26 may be able to survive human-caused destruction.

04:30 Even without human help,

04:31 a rainforest can start growing again if it has enough seedlings.

04:35 However, this can only be successful if the rainforest isn't always under attack.

04:42 So what can you do to help?

04:45 Well, for starters, don't eat as much beef.

04:48 Processed beef products, such as fast food hamburgers,

04:51 are full of illegally sourced beef from the rainforest.

04:55 Reduce the amount of paper you use,

04:57 and choose renewable energy products whenever you can.

05:01 Renewable energy reduces the amount of carbon

05:04 we spew into the atmosphere from fossil fuels,

05:07 many of which come from the Amazon rainforest.

05:11 Maybe if we all work together, we can restore this beautiful rainforest to its former glory.

05:18 But that's a topic for another WHAT IF.

05:22 [MUSIC]

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