Killing the lungs of the earth!
Destruction of the Amazon rainforest
Deforestation
The Amazon rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest in the world, it covers over five and a half million square kilometers.
The Amazon covers South American countries including Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Guyana, Bolivia, Suriname and French Guiana.
10% of the world’s known animals species live in the Amazon rainforest.
20% of the world’s bird species live in the Amazon rainforest.
It is home to over 40,000 plant species
But......
The Amazon is an amazing, beautiful, and remarkable place that has a lot to give to us but at the moment we are taking all that away, by destroying it bit by bit.
The churches teaching on the environment
"The seventh commandment enjoins respect for the integrity of creation. Animals, like plants and inanimate beings, are by nature destined for the common good of past, present, and future humanity. Use of the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe cannot be divorced from respect for moral imperatives. Man's dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of his neighbor including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation."
What church is saying that although we, the humans, have so much control over our planet, we should respect the power that we have and use the land wisely.
How can we save the Amazon?
Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation_of_the_Amazon_Rainforest
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/earth/amazonrainforest.html
p 580, respect for the integrity of creation - catechism of the catholic church