The rainforest is a vital biome of Earth. For those that don’t know, it is a warm, rainy forest typically found around the equator. There are some other really cool facts about rainforests:
- Rainforests cover about 7% of Earth’s non-oceanic surface.
- They contain 50% of all terrestrial lifeforms.
- They store at least 250 billion tons of carbon, which is good for the environment.
- 10% of global greenhouse gases are created by rainforest destruction.
- The Amazon is the world’s largest rainforest and is believed to contain more than half of the world’s ‘uncontacted’ tribes.
- The Amazon is nicknamed the ‘lungs of the world’ because of the amount of CO2 it absorbs and O2 it emits.
- Rainforests hold many medicinal plants such as quinine for malaria, vincristine for leukemia, and even Novocain.
- About 25% of Western medicines comes from the rainforest.
- Forests in general are natural water filters.
It is very important to preserve our rainforests in order to keep our world inhabitable. This is true even if we don’t live near them because the water and air they provide can travel to everyone. We lose approximately 150 acres of rainforest every minute, which drives us closer to our own extinction.
Below is a full episode of Netflix’s ‘Our Planet’, which is narrated by David Attenborough and is about jungles. Jump around and take a look or watch the whole thing at your leisure. It’ll show how amazing this biome is.
Legends of Windemere 
I do love nature shows.
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Always fun.
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Rain forest depleation awareness needs to increase. Thanks for the post, Charles.
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You’re welcome.
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😊
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I couldn’t agree more, Charles. We need to make a concerted effort to preserve these forests, although it seems some countries are determined to eliminate them.
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Thanks. I know it gets difficult due to greedy corporations buying greedy politicians. Forgot the guy who seemed to go out of his way to damage the Amazon.
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I despair at the ignorance of those felling these forests. But I suppose they only think of themselves and not of the future of humanity.
Interestingly, rain forests aren’t solely in the tropical. There are a few temperate rainforests in the world. Here in the UK we have only a very few left, and those aren’t exactly forests anymore. More like woods. Centuries ago the inhabitants of these islands chopped most of our forests down, including rainforests.
The few rain forests we have left are now protected.
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Many people retain the false sense of invulnerability we have as teenagers. They think nothing bad will happen to them from their actions. This mixes with a narcissism that any consequences will hit others and they are not responsible.
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This is preaching to the choir. Amen!
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Thanks.
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