A satellite photo over New Zealand. Lighter green areas indicate regions where trees have been cut d
A satellite photo over New Zealand. Lighter green areas indicate regions where trees have been cut down to make way for farmland and development. Estimates vary, but even the conservative estimates calculate that at least half of the world’s rain forests, a specific type of highly productive forest, have been lost to deforestation. The idea that rain forests contribute significantly to atmospheric oxygen is popular, but is incorrect. Nonetheless, the loss in terms of biodiversity is enormous. Further, forests are vastly more effective at introducing water into the atmosphere, per square kilometer, than anything else–including open bodies of water like oceans. It is estimate that rain forests alone contribute 30% of the freshwater on Earth.According to the WHO, at a minimum, a person requires 2.5 liters of freshwater per day to survive. There are over 7 billion humans on earth. What this photo represents should frighten you. -- source link
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