Climate Change
- By 2050, temperatures will have increased by 2-3⁰.
- Between the 1920s and 1970s, there were significant drops in amount of rainfall, however, since then there has been no significant change.
Vegetation Change
- Between 2000 and 2010, around 3.6 million hectares per year were lost.
- Species sustainability has been directly affected by climate change, it alters their conditions needed to survive.
- A 2⁰ temperature rise above pre-industrial levels would result in 20-40% of the Amazon dying – 3⁰ rise would kill 75% – 4⁰ rise would kill 85%.
Soil
- When forests are cleared and burned, the soil fungi and bacteria which recycle dead vegetation are killed.
Rivers
- Major changes to total precipitation, extreme rainfall events and seasonality can have many impacts.
- Reduce river discharge.
- Cause flash flooding.
- Destroy water supplies, damage lives of native Amazonians.
- Warming water temperatures can kill of temperature dependent species.