The Amazon rainforest regulates climate and rainfall throughout large parts of South America. But without accurate climate models and scientifically informed policies, the region is vulnerable to the effects of deforestation and global climate change.
Unsustainable regional development and climate change in the Amazon can lead to deforestation, regional disturbance of temperatures and the water cycle, and loss of carbon stocks and biodiversity. In turn, these changes can result in forest loss, droughts, low river levels, floods, and loss of hydropower energy and many other ecosystem services. They can also lead to an increased risk of diseases and loss of agricultural productivity.
Further details: Early warning system for the Amazon