The Amazon

            
             In the deep jungles of the Amazon rain forest of Brazil, there is a devastating problem. The forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. If the deforestation keeps happening at the rate it is now, the great Amazon Rain Forest will be completely wiped out within 80 years. Something needs to be done to protect the Amazon rain forest quickly before it's gone.
             The oxygen we breathe, the carbon dioxide we don't breathe, the earth's layers of ozone, all of these depend on our rain forests, and the Amazon is one of the biggest. 10,000 square miles of the Amazon vanished in one year, that works down too 1.14 square miles of trees that are burned, or cut down per hour. Already 20 percent of the rainforest that was once standing has disappeared. We need the rain forest to take carbon dioxide out of the air, and to make oxygen. It has also been proved, that when the rain forest is burned, the massive amount of carbon dioxide that is released contributes to the green house gasses, and global warming.
             The main reason that the forests are disappearing is because farms are expanding, and they cut down the trees to make more room for crops, and grazing cattle. This however, is not the only cause of the forests disappearing. Other factors such as, expanding cities, and exporting the timber to other countries are also problems. Another major problem is that Brazil's government has put to work a program that will pave over nearly 4000 dirt roads that run through the forests. The plan is currently going through reviews, but one third of the work has already been completed.
             Brazil's government is doing some good things for the rain forest though. People have recently realized the importance of the rain forests for the future of the world. There have been laws that have been put into place to protect the forests, such as limiting the amount of the forest that is cut down per year. However, thousands of farmers break these laws and cut down trees to make room for crops, and cattle.