The Heart and Lungs of the World
In The Heart and Lungs of the World, learn how the Amazon rainforest plays a critical role in regulating the Earth's climate by recycling water from the trees into the atmosphere. The Amazon takes in and pumps out water, which creates moisture that forms clouds and produces rain. With 400 billion trees cycling water, this process significantly influences global weather patterns, including rainfall in regions far from the rainforest itself, such as the United States’ Midwest. This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.
Lesson Express
Q: Why did the conservationist describe the Amazon as the heart as well as the lungs of the world?
A: The Amazon is essential to the planet’s health, much like the heart and lungs are essential to the body. The Amazon produces oxygen, helps regulate the climate, and plays a key role in the global water cycle. Without the Amazon's "heartbeat" of producing moisture and sustaining ecosystems, the world could face devastating environmental consequences.
Q: How does the destruction of the Amazon impact global weather patterns, particularly in areas far from the rainforest?
A: The water cycle in the Amazon influences rainfall, with the deforestation of trees disrupting this system. This leads to droughts in regions such as the United States’ Midwest, where rainfall patterns are dependent on the moisture released by the rainforest.
Q: What is the relationship between deforestation in the Amazon and droughts in the United States’ Midwest?
A: There is a link between deforestation and disrupted water cycles, which can lead to decreased rainfall in distant regions. The clearing of trees reduces the amount of water vapor released into the atmosphere, impacting global weather systems.
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In A Threatened Global Treasure, host Radzi Chinyanganya follows journalist Nomia Iqbal as she travels through Brazil to investigate the threats facing the Amazon rainforest. The video focuses on the alarming increase in forest fires in 2019, largely driven by changes in government policies as well as the issue of illegal logging. Can the Amazon survive? This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.
In A Threatened Global Treasure, host Radzi Chinyanganya follows journalist Nomia Iqbal as she travels through Brazil to investigate the threats facing the Amazon rainforest. The video focuses on the alarming increase in forest fires in 2019, largely driven by changes in government policies as well as the issue of illegal logging. Can the Amazon survive? This video is excerpted from BBC’s My World, a program created for teenagers eager to learn more about the important stories shaping our world.