Introduction
Brazil's Amazon rainforest comprises 30% of the world's remaining tropical forests and, besides providing shelter to one tenth of the world's plant and animal species, acts as a significant mechanism for removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. According to the World Bank, just one acre of Amazon rainforest sequesters about 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.
In recent years, energy-related environmental problems, including oil spills, air pollution, flooding and deforestation have become a threat to Brazil's biodiversity and delicate ecosystems.
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