| The Amazon rainforest holds
millions of species of flora and fauna, some found nowhere else on earth. It is a treasure
chest that hasn't even been fully opened, as the Amazon still remains partially
unexplored. There are many more plants and animals that anywhere else on earth. And we are
destroying them without even understanding what they are. Many cures to illnesses have
been derived from rainforest plants but if we lose the species we'll never know that it
held a cure for cancer.
In addition, another problem is that people don't understand what they are doing. The
Amazon, though it is host to millions of lifeforms, is not full of fertile soil. The
organic material that builds up from all the plants and animals such as dead leaves, skin,
and various other materials is what allows plants and animals to thrive. Without the
forest, this is quickly washed away by rain and the once fertile soil is fertile no more.
The rainforest takes in CO2 and releases oxygen. Without it, we would probably have more
global warming to deal with as well as a lack of oxygen. A few trees here and there cannot
compare to what we would lose if we lost the Amazon as a producer. Already, we are
causing changes in the Amazon as flooding patterns are changing due to the immense
destruction of rainforest.
This flooding creates fertile soil and is crucial to the farmers long the river. If we
continue in this madness, we will only hurt ourselves. We must try as hard as we can to
stop it.
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