Climate change could claim 85% of the Amazon. As home to half the world’s plants, animals, and insects, the lush rainforest historically has been able to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide by two billion tons annually. However, British researchers from the Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Change report that not only deforestation but now global warming itself is jeopardizing the health of the trees, saying that 85% of the forest could perish with an atmospheric temperature rise of four degrees Celsius. Findings from other scientists who attended the Copenhagen climate change conference last week concurred, including those of Dr. Carlos Nobres of Brazil’s Space Research Institute, also Chair of the International Geosphere Biosphere Program in Sweden.

Dr. Carlos Nobre – Brazil Space Research Institute, Chair, International Geosphere Biosphere Program in Stockholm, Sweden (M): Certainly, the most alarming climate change danger is the collapse of the Amazon forest. If the temperature rises 4 or 5 degrees, it’s very likely that the Amazon forest will collapse almost totally. So this is really the most alarming climate change danger that we are facing in South America.

VOICE: Also attending the conference was Professor Tim Lenton of the UK’s University of East Anglia, who stated: “Unless we can restrict the warming and seasonal changes we're already seeing in the tropics, the prospects for the Amazon aren't good.” A key to limiting this warming , according to Dr. Carlos Nobre, is to curb meat production, that is, to halt the clearing of the rainforests for cattle grazing.

Dr. Carlos Nobre (M): Worldwide, that’s very important because really, there will be lots of emissions if we think in the future of 9 billion people consuming meat; this is huge meat consumption which will lead to huge emissions. So, on the long range, we have to decrease meat consumption – and particularly for the global tropics. Specifically for the Amazon, deforestation comes about mostly to open up cattle ranches, so to produce meat.

VOICE: Our gratitude, Dr. Nobre, Met Office Hadley Centre scientists, Professor Lenton and all involved for this vital information that helps awaken us to the severe effects of continued global warming. Let us quickly turn to more eco-conscious lifestyles to save the irreplaceable Amazon, its lush biodiversity and support of all life on Earth.

Through her deep spiritual insights, Supreme Master Ching Hai explained in a June 2008 videoconference with our Association members in Surrey, United Kingdom how a rapid and complete restoration of our biosphere could be possible if humankind would become vegetarian altogether.