By now, we’re all aware of the climate crisis — the rapid shifts in the earth’s climate driven primarily by human activities like burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas. These actions release greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, causing global temperatures to rise and leading to more frequent extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and devastating impacts on communities worldwide.

One of the most urgent steps we can take to combat this crisis is to stop using fossil fuels — now. But beyond this, we can protect and restore natural ecosystems that play a crucial role in buffering the effects of climate change. These “nature-based solutions” work in harmony with an ecosystem to strengthen it, creating resiliency and positive effects for people and the climate.

Among the world’s best natural defenses against climate change, rainforests stand out for their immense scale and impact. The Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, is especially vital. 

But how exactly does the Amazon help cool the entire planet? Let’s find out.

The Amazon Rainforest Stores an Incredible Amount of Carbon

Rainforests are diverse, complex ecosystems that receive more than 80 inches (203 cm) of rainfall a year. Tropical rainforests, like the Amazon, are incredibly rich in biodiversity and have a remarkable ability to store large amounts of carbon. They do this by absorbing carbon dioxide through their leaves, trunks, and roots, reducing the amount of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere and in turn, cooling the planet.

Although rainforests cover only about 7% of the earth’s land surface, they store an estimated 25-40% of the planet’s carbon in their soil, making them critical carbon sinks.

The Amazon rainforest spans eight different South American countries plus French Guiana (an overseas territory of France) and absorbs around 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year — about 5% of the world’s total annual emissions.

“Flying Rivers” of Moisture

In addition to storing large amounts of carbon, the Amazon plays a crucial role in regulating the global climate by forming “flying rivers” — vast flows of moisture that travel across the Amazon basin. 

The trees act like enormous water pumps, drawing water up through their roots and releasing it into the atmosphere through their leaves in a process that’s known as “evapotranspiration.” The Amazon rainforest releases about 20 billion tons of moisture into the air on a typical day, forming rain clouds that are carried by the wind to sustain the forest itself and influence the climate of surrounding regions.

This moisture supplies rainfall that irrigates neighboring areas such as the Cerrado, Pantanal, and Atlantic Forest in Brazil, demonstrating that the Amazon is deeply connected to other biomes. It also provides vital water reserves and supports farming in many different regions in South America such as Central Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and northern Argentina — sustaining the livelihoods and water supplies of millions of people.

When trees are lost to deforestation, this natural water cycle is disrupted — less moisture is released into the atmosphere, which alters rainfall and weather patterns, exacerbates droughts, and contributes to the increasing frequency of wildfires in the Amazon — a region that historically has been too wet to sustain such fires.

Threats to the Amazon Equal Threats to Global Climate

In the past 50 years, over 300,000 square miles (about 78 million hectares) of the Amazon have been cleared or degraded — an area larger than the state of Texas or the country of Italy. 

This destruction is mainly driven by activities like agriculture, logging, and mining. When forests are cut down or burned, the carbon stored in trees is released into the atmosphere, accelerating global warming. 

Remarkably, evapotranspiration from the Amazon basin provides atmospheric moisture that influences weather patterns and rainfall as far away as the US. That means forest loss in the Amazon basin may contribute to droughts and increase wildfire risks far beyond South America. 

For example, the intense 2023-24 California wildfires may be indirectly linked to these disrupted moisture patterns, combined with rising temperatures caused by global climate change. 

What Can Global Citizens Do?   

Protecting the Amazon rainforest is critical not only for preserving its biodiversity and the rights and livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and local communities who depend on the forest, but also for maintaining global climate stability. 

A healthy Amazon supports rainfall patterns that help communities across South America thrive. It also reduces the risk of extreme weather events — like the devastating 2024 California wildfires and the growing number of fires within the Amazon itself.

Global citizens can help by calling for global action to protect forests, as well as reducing their consumption of products linked to deforestation (like certain meats, soy, and palm oil), backing Indigenous land rights, and raising awareness about the importance of the Amazon in fighting climate change.