yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

Rainforests 101 | National Geographic


2m read
·Nov 11, 2024

(Birds chirping) - [Narrator] Shrouded in a blanket of clouds, they awaken. Their canopies of green glitter in the sun. Their wildlife start to slither. (Snake hissing) - Chirp. (Birds chirping) - And growl. (Growling) - And one of the planet's richest ecosystems comes to life. (Crickets chirping)

Rainforests are the oldest living ecosystems on the planet. Some can trace their origins to over 70 million years ago, back to a time when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth. While the giant reptiles have disappeared, rainforests continue to thrive, growing on every continent except Antarctica.

Two types of rainforests are scattered across the globe: temperate and tropical. Temperate rainforests are mainly found in the mid-latitudes, often near cooler, coastal, mountainous regions. Tropical rainforests are primarily located in warmer climates between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

(Thundering) As their names imply, temperate and tropical rainforests are the wettest forests on Earth, receiving up to about 33 feet of rain per year. This precipitation plays a critical role in creating an exceptionally lush and biologically diverse habitat. While rainforests only make up about 6% of the Earth's surface area, they are home to over half of the world's plant and animal species.

This biodiversity creates benefits that extend far beyond the rainforest boundaries. Rainforest plants produce an assortment of food items, in addition to ingredients useful in everyday products and medicines. In fact, an estimated 70% of the plants used in cancer treatments are only found in rainforests.

On an even larger scale, rainforests help to stabilize the planet's climate. Its lush, green vegetation regulates global temperatures by absorbing massive amounts of radiation from the sun. They also absorb vast amounts of carbon dioxide and convert them into oxygen, about 40% of the planet's breathable air.

Over the past few centuries, rainforests have disappeared at an alarming rate. Factors such as economic inequalities, human development, and demand for natural resources have fueled the deforestation of these rich ecosystems.

At the current rate, rainforests, which have survived for over 70 million years, may completely disappear within the next century. But through educational campaigns, sustainable logging practices, and cooperation with local communities, deforestation may begin to slow down, helping to preserve rainforests for many generations to come. (Dramatic music)

More Articles

View All
Safari Live - Day 384 | National Geographic
This program features live coverage of an African safari and may include animal kills and carcasses. Viewer discretion is advised. Well, we couldn’t have asked for a better way to start our Sunday than the brand-new “Oh balls of fluff” for the Inkuhuma p…
James Cameron on Exploration of Deep Sea and Space | StarTalk
So it’s not just you’re interested in the oceans or space; you’ve touched and been touched by engineering and technology. There was a lot about the cameras used for Avatar, but you go farther back than that. Well, yeah, just, I just love engineering. I l…
A Pitbull Becomes a Service Dog | Cesar Millan: Better Human Better Dog
For the past five years, Johns faced a brain tumor in the fight of his life. His weakened state has caused Goliath to become fixated on protecting him. Today, Goliath faces Caesar’s final challenge, which will determine if he’s balanced enough to be of se…
How to Cure Aging – During Your Lifetime?
Health is the most valuable thing we have in life, but we tend to forget that until we lose it. We’re living longer than ever before, which is great, but an unforeseen consequence of this is that we also spend a larger and larger portion of our lives bein…
Choosing The Right Crypto Investment For My Portfolio | Anthony Pompliano
[Music] I see you go on CNBC a few times and, uh, getting some, uh, verbal tussles. You know, back in the day you and I used to have some verbal tussles, which I just want to remind people of. But, uh, recently you’ve been asked about the vaccine mandates…
Don't Worry, Everything is Out of Control | Stoic Antidotes to Worry
Even though we can’t control the future, we’re worrying ourselves sick because of it. This could be because we don’t control the future. And this lack of control is the reason it frightens us. Or, we think we can control it by ‘thinking about it’ or perha…