Following on again from previous posts about consequences about not bothering to recognise high value of ecological systems, like rainforest and wetlands:

If most of us live close enough to the ocean tho be convinced, by animated graphic weather forecast mapping, that rain always swirls in from offshore, it’s a surprise to read, p59 Atmosphere of Hope, by Tim Flannery, “It’s a curiosity that Amazon forests make their own rain. Around 80% of all rain that falls there originates from water transpired from their leaves” Curiosity or climate shattering revelation? Science tells us that the Amazon Basin is actually drying out, in danger of becoming a carbon source, rather than carbon sink. It’s obviously had a big cooling effect. Just imagine combined effects of less absorption of CO2, huge scale of forest fires burning tinder dry rainforest, releasing stored CO2, and now – no more planetary cooling when self sourced rain clouds are no longer.

BERNIE.