The Amazon Rainforest Generates About 6 Percent of the World's Oxygen
A vast aerial view of the Amazon canopy with overlaid infographics showing oxygen and carbon cycle arrows
While often cited as producing 20 percent of Earth's oxygen, the Amazon actually produces closer to 6 percent — but consumes nearly all of it through respiration and decomposition. Ocean phytoplankton produce over 50 percent of the world's oxygen.
Why It’s Interesting
The real value of the Amazon is not oxygen production but carbon storage, biodiversity, and rainfall generation. Correcting this myth shifts the conservation argument to what actually matters — the Amazon holds 150 billion tonnes of carbon that would be devastating if released.
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