The Amazon has already lost 17 percent of its forest cover and an additional 7 percent of its rainforests have been degraded. If deforestation and forest degradation combined cross the 20-25 percent threshold, scientists warn that the system will reach an irreversible tipping point that can translate into the dieback of the entire ecosystem. This would result in massive carbon dioxide emissions with rapid and catastrophic consequences for global climate stability.
We are at the verge of crossing the tipping point. Our actions in the next few years will determine the fate of our planet over the next millennia. Ensuring the integrity of the hydrological systems, biodiversity, and guaranteeing the fundamental role of the Amazon as a global climate regulator requires that at least 80 percent of its forests remain intact.
We now call for a comprehensive global agreement for the permanent protection of 80 percent of the Amazon Rainforest by 2025, agreed to by all Amazon governments and backed by Indigenous peoples and the global community.