It is said that if the Amazon shrinks much more, its inability to water itself from its own cycles of evaporation and precipitation will begin a spiralling cycle of drying - a tipping point that will be nigh impossible to return from. One of the greatest threats is the increasing demand for meat.

Soy is exported to Europe and elsewhere for livestock feed. If the beans were consumed in their direct form they would feed many more people - it's a ridiculous conversion ratio (1 pound of meat from 7+ pounds of soy) that is costing us what is one of the last significant stands of forest and regions of biodiversity on the planet. It's got to stop.

Further Reading:

• Amazon Gets Reprieve, but what of the Local Economy?
• In Memory of Dorothy Stang
• Save the World with your Fork
• Livestock - Public Enemy Number One