"Earth's lungs" at risk

This is true of Brazil's Amazon basin, located along the Equator. Its 1.4 billion acres of rainforest transform carbon dioxide into oxygen, providing 20 percent of Earth's total oxygen, which is why this area has been called "Earth's lungs." The Amazon River discharges a greater volume of water than any other river in the world and supports a rainforest canopy that provides habitat for up to one-half the world's species. This titanic region began to experience pressure from human development in the 1970s, when Brazil began building highways into the Amazon rainforest, making previously remote areas accessible to loggers, ranchers, miners, and settlers who began clearing the land. From 2000-2005, Brazil accounted for approximately 42 percent of global net forest loss, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Barreto, et al., 2006, p. 11). In 2005 and 2010, this region experienced extreme droughts. The 2010 drought was accompanied by intense forest fires along the Brazil-Bolivia border, accelerating the changes brought about by clear-cutting. Today, the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization with its membership of eight South American countries promotes sustainable development in the Amazon basin.

Water, water

Although the Amazon region has plenty of water, it generally is not potable. Water scarcity, something this region has in common with many other parts of the world, leads to many ills: inadequate sanitation, waterborne diseases, and disputes over water sources. Overconsumption leads to stress on ecosystems. Both human and animal health depend on adequate supplies of water, as does food security. A recent report from the Stockholm International Water Institute suggests that by 2050 most people on Earth "may have to switch almost completely to a vegetarian diet over the next 40 years to avoid catastrophic shortages" due to water scarcity and a world population expected to reach 9 billion (Vidal, 2012).

Agricultural practices consume 70 percent of water used globally, followed in volume by domestic use and industrial uses. Click the following link for a quick look at current pressures on global freshwater supply.

http://www.worldometers.info/water/

While global demand continues to increase, in the United States, in the years since 1985, per capita water withdrawals began to decline thanks to "more efficient agricultural and industrial water use" (Global, paras. 31-2).