Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory Office of Science NEWTON's Homepage NEWTON's Homepage
NEWTON, Ask A Scientist!
NEWTON Home Page NEWTON Teachers Visit Our Archives Ask A Question How To Ask A Question Question of the Week Our Expert Scientists Volunteer at NEWTON! Frequently Asked Questions Referencing NEWTON About NEWTON About Ask A Scientist Education At Argonne How Long Do You Think the Rain Forest Will Last? 
Name: Darkwood
Status: Other
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
How long do you think the rain forest will last?


Replies:
I think they will probably last 10 billion years (until the end of the earth when the goes nova), or maybe as little as 20 years, if humanity makes an all-out effort to destroy them all. That probably will not happen, because they are too valuable a resource and will probably be preserved (or at least some percentage will probably be preserved). They are very large, and their preservation is recognized by the members of the United Nations as a worthy goal, so I do not think they will disappear anytime soon.

Don Libby


Click here to return to the Environmental Science

NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.

For assistance with NEWTON contact a System Operator (help@newton.dep.anl.gov), or at Argonne's Educational Programs

NEWTON AND ASK A SCIENTIST
Educational Programs
Building 360
9700 S. Cass Ave.
Argonne, Illinois
60439-4845, USA
Update: June 2012
Weclome To Newton

Argonne National Laboratory