The Amazon rainforest is losing 200,000 acres a day; soon it will be too late

Since 1988, humans have destroyed an area of rainforest roughly the size of Texas and New Mexico combined

Nearly one million sq km of the Amazon rainforest, an average of 200,000 acres every day, have been destroyed since the murder of environmental activist Chico Mendes in 1988.

Shortly before his 44th birthday, in December 1988, the Brazilian rubber tapper and environmental activist Chico Mendes predicted he would not live until Christmas. 

“At first,” he said, “I thought I was fighting to save rubber trees, then I thought I was fighting to save the Amazon rainforest. Now I realise I am fighting for humanity.”