Climate Change in South America Between May 2000 and August 2005, Brazil lost more than 132,000 square kilometers of forest—an area larger than Greece—and since 1970, over 600,000 square kilometers (232,000 square miles) of Amazon rainforest have been destroyed.  Deforestation is the result of a multitude of actions, which include clearing for cattle grazing and agriculture, logging, and infrastructure improvements.  Amazonian evergreen forests account for about 10% of the world's terrestrial primary productivity and 10% of the carbon stores in ecosystems.   This environmental degredation, leading to even more global warming, is directly linked to the impoverished conditions of Brazilian farmers.  Thirty percent of Brazilians—54 million out of 180 million—live below the poverty line, which itself is drawn quite low. Over 22 percent live on less than two dollars a day.  This drives people into the forest to obtain timber and land for farming as a means of survival.    Click here for more information on the importance of rainforests   Learn More! Click here to learn what you can do to fight global warming Resources on global warming Climate Change and Poverty Climate Change Home