Figure 9.12: The tropical rain forest of the Amazon Basin. In Brazil, the rain forest is under attack by settlers, ranchers, and commercial loggers. Its removal will intensify the impact of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, because the forest acts to convert those gases into benign forms. About 10,000 square miles (26,000 square kilometers) of Brazil’s tropical rain forest are cleared each year.
(Source: Worldwatch Institute web site, http://www.worldwatch.org/.)