The Amazon Rainforest in 2050

We were thinking about the future environment we could be facing in Manaus, particularly given the fact that everyone (apart from George Bush, apparently) is concerned about global warming. The best estimates at present show the Amazon getting significantly hotter and drier by 2050, with the rainforest dying off and slowly being transformed into some sort of savannah.

The implications are that river levels will fall, agriculture and silviculture will be badly hit, crop yields will drop dramatically, there will be significant health issues as water quality is adversely affected, pests and diseases will increase and so on. And being selfish for a moment, this probably doesn't bode well for the future of any business based around eco-tourism in Manaus (or any other type of tourism, come to that).

No doubt by 2050 we'll either be dead or old enough not to be too worried by it all, but I wonder about any children we may have. Hmm. Perhaps we'll have to send them back to Northern Ireland to enjoy the long, hot summers and balmy winters the province will be enjoying by then!