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
Watch: An Incredible Viking Voyage—Made Entirely of Paper | National Geographic
I am old, but I remember long ago when we Norsemen ruled the sea. As our northern kingdom expanded, the secret of our success lay in how we built our fearsome longships. Imagine a young boy named Harold who yearns to see the world. His father is a shipbu…
Dealing With Anger (A Stoic & Buddhist Perspective)
Of what use is anger when the same end can be arrived at by reason? Do you suppose that a hunter is angry with the beasts he kills? Seneca. Anger is an emotion that everyone experiences at some point in their lives. There are different ways in which ange…
Estimating adding large numbers by rounding
Let’s say that we run an egg farm. Yesterday, we went out and we collected 398 eggs from the chickens, and then today we went out and we collected 251 eggs from the chickens. What we’re curious about is roughly how many eggs do we now have that we’ve coll…
15 TRAITS Of The SUPERIOR MAN
Hello Alexers! On this Sunday motivational video, we’re looking at how to become a superior individual. There’s always room to become a better person, yet most people decide to become complacent in their mediocrity. So, a discussion on the traits and the …
Giving Up On The Stock Market
What’s up, guys? It’s Graham here. So, for the past century, the stock market has been a tried and true method for building your wealth, making passive income, and growing your money to the point of never needing to work another day in your entire life e…
Warren Buffett Explains How To Calculate Intrinsic Value Of A Stock
Yeah, the actually Graham didn’t get too specific about intrinsic value in terms of precise calculations, but intrinsic value has come to be equated with, and I think quite properly with, what you might call private business value. Now, I’m not sure who w…