NEWS AND COMMENT: This has been an ongoing discussion for a long time and many people know about it. It’s about the destruction of the Amazon rainforest a place which is the habitat of perhaps millions of different species and millions of animals and plant life. It needs to be protected and it produces oxygen, converting it from carbon dioxide thanks to photosynthesis. This forest helps to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in a natural way. Below this post is a short synopsis about photosynthesis.
And today, in The Times, we have an article written by the environment editor which starts: “Supermarkets must stop using beef linked to Amazon deforestation, conservationists have warned as a report found that wildlife populations globally had fallen 73% since 1970.”
The destruction of the Amazon rainforest to make way for cattle farms to supply the world with beef is of major concern to conservationists and has been for decades.
Over the last decade, approximately 10 million ha (hundred thousand square kilometres] of the rainforest have been destroyed for cattle farming which represents about 10% of the total area in some regions.. Around 60-8% of deforested land in the Amazon has been converted into pasture for cattle ranching.
Brazil holds about 60% of the Amazon rainforest and the deforestation rate there has been particularly high. Between 2013 and 2023 annual deforestation rates varied but generally ranged from 6000 to 10,000 km² annually. A large proportion of this has been driven by cattle ranching.
Deforestation occurs due to both the legal and illegal activities.
The biennial update to the WWF’s Living Planet Index produced in conjunction with the Zoological Society of London painted a very bleak picture according to the WWF UK chief executive.
The report indicates that average monitored wildlife populations in Latin America fell by 95% between 1970 and 2020. The declines are smaller in Europe but this is because most wildlife had already been wiped out in Europe and the UK before 1970!
A key driver to the destruction according to this report and conservationist is logging i.e. deforestation.
The population of the Amazon’s river dolphins fell by 65% over this period. The numbers of nesting hawksbill sea turtles on an island in the Great Barrier Reef has dropped by 57%.
All globally recognised indicators tell exactly the same stories, whether we are talking about population abundance, species diversity, extinction rates or the extent of extinction rates of natural habitats. These all tell us that nature is in freefall.
The chief executive, Tanya Steele, said that cocoa, leather, beef, palm, soy and other commodities imported by Britain were assisting habitat destruction in the Amazon and elsewhere.
The UK government promised about four years ago to pass a law that would force supermarkets to carry out better checking and due diligence in identifying products in the supply chain linked to illegal deforestation. But, as usual, little progress has been made. There is no timeline. The matter is drifting as usual. And the European commission said that there is a one-year delay to similar legislation on the continent.
Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants, algae, and some bacteria convert light energy into chemical energy, taking carbon dioxide (CO₂) out of the atmosphere and releasing oxygen (O₂) in return. Here’s how it works step by step:
1. Absorption of Light Energy
Photosynthesis occurs primarily in plant leaves, in specialized cell structures called chloroplasts. Inside the chloroplasts is a green pigment called chlorophyll, which captures light energy from the sun.
2. Splitting of Water Molecules
In the light-dependent reactions (the first phase of photosynthesis), sunlight is used to split water molecules (H₂O) into hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O). This process is called photolysis. The oxygen from water is released as a byproduct into the atmosphere, creating the oxygen we breathe.
3. Carbon Dioxide Fixation (Calvin Cycle)
In the light-independent reactions (or Calvin Cycle), the plant takes in carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere through tiny pores in the leaves called stomata. Inside the chloroplasts, the CO₂ combines with hydrogen atoms (from the earlier water-splitting step) to form glucose (C₆H₁₂O₆), a type of sugar that the plant uses for energy and growth.
4. Production of Glucose
During the Calvin Cycle, the carbon from CO₂ is fixed into an organic molecule, and after a series of steps, it forms glucose (C₆H₁₂O₆). This glucose is used by the plant for energy or stored as starch.
5. Release of Oxygen
As a byproduct of photosynthesis, oxygen molecules (O₂) are released into the atmosphere through the same stomata. This is the oxygen that animals, including humans, rely on for respiration.
Summary:
- Input: Sunlight, CO₂, and water.
- Process: Light energy splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, while CO₂ is fixed to form glucose.
- Output: Glucose (for plant energy) and oxygen (O₂), which is released into the atmosphere.
Thus, photosynthesis removes CO₂ from the atmosphere and contributes to the oxygen supply, playing a key role in regulating Earth’s atmosphere.
