tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7654016197249534528.post3063529407661098246..comments2009-04-22T12:55:34.848-07:00Amy Halehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03742065522710768693noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7654016197249534528.post-32534299203542085972009-04-22T12:55:00.000-07:002009-04-22T12:55:00.000-07:00So true, Paolo. I recently read a disturbing article suggesting that in the face of severe drought, caused by climate change, the Amazon rainforest will actually reverse their role as carbon sink and instead emit the greenhouse gas: "Researchers have found that, for a period in 2005, the Amazon rainforest actually slipped into reverse gear and started to emit more carbon than it absorbed.<br /><br />Four years ago, a sudden and intense drought in the Amazonian dry season created the sort of conditions that give climate scientists nightmares. Instead of being a net absorber of about two billion tons of carbon dioxide, the forest became a net producer of the greenhouse gas, to the tune of about three billion tons.<br /><br />The additional quantity of carbon dioxide left in the atmosphere after the drought – some five billion tons – exceeded the annual man-made emissions of Europe and Japan combined. What happened in the dry season of 2005 was a stark reminder of how quickly the factors affecting global warming can change." <br />http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/revenge-of-the-rainforest-1638524.html<br /><br />The link you post is so sad also - a major call to action. I'll write about it for sure in another post. Thanks so much for the link - Happy Earth Day!Amy Halehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03742065522710768693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7654016197249534528.post-83490684792732013122009-04-18T08:01:00.000-07:002009-04-18T08:01:00.000-07:00Replanting the Rainforests is a great initiative! Thanks for sharing this. Rainforests are the "Lungs of our Planet" providing the essential environmental world service of continuously recycling carbon dioxide into oxygen. More than 20 percent of world oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest! Closer to home, check out how much damage has been done to our own great coastal estuaries like Puget Sound an the Chesapeake Bay. This might kick a few into action:<br /><br />http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/poisonedwaters/Paolonoreply@blogger.com