地球的肺(The lungs of Earth)

也许地球上没有其他地方比世界上最大的亚马逊雨林在维持生命方面发挥着更重要的作用。亚马逊河横跨包括厄瓜多尔在内的南美洲九个国家，这里的亚苏尼国家公园保护着这个原始的生态区。今天被定为世界雨林日，以纪念这片和其他雨林的重要作用，并支持保护它们的努力。由于农业和畜牧业造成的森林砍伐，世界雨林受到前所未有的威胁。一些研究表明，人类已经退化或破坏了世界上一半以上的雨林。树木减少意味着气温升高，这增加了干旱和野火的风险，并加剧了毁林的破坏。
原文：
Perhaps no other place on Earth plays a more crucial role in sustaining life as we know it than the Amazon rainforest, the largest in the world. The Amazon spans nine countries in South America including Ecuador, where this pristine ecoregion is protected by the Yasuní National Park, shown here. Today is set aside as World Rainforest Day, to remember the vital role of this and other rainforests and to champion efforts to protect them. The world’s rainforests are under threat like never before from deforestation driven by agriculture and cattle ranching. Some studies have indicated humans have degraded or destroyed more than half of the world’s rainforests. Fewer trees mean warmer temperatures, which increases the risk of drought and wildfire and compounds the damage of deforestation.
《© Paul Bertner/Minden Pictures》