Just Add a Packet of Human Greed and Stir Vigorously!

The Amazon rainforest used to be described as the 'lungs of the planet'. A new study, however, confirms it has become a net emitter of carbon dioxide (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/14/amazon-rainforest-now-emitting-more-co2-than-it-absorbs). The Amazon rainforest currently emits a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. The transformation is due to very substantial (and often illegal) forest clearance, which generally involves burning. The main motivation for the clearance is to generate more land for the rearing of beef cattle. In addition to providing grazing pasture, soya bean is grown to provide animal feed. All this is happening at a time, when there is an urgent need to substantially reduce atmospheric 'greenhouse gases'. Carbon dioxide from the burning and methane from cattle burping. Unfortunately, there's lots of money to be made by cattle barons in their air-conditioned haciendas. Why worry about a few trees, removing carbon dioxide by photosynthesis?