By Larry Schweiger

In my new book Last Chance: Preserving Life on Earth, I write that large tracts of the vast Amazonian rainforest ecosystem may be on the brink of irreversible collapse if the drought and other global warming effects on the Amazon continue and deforestation is not brought into check.

Last year I went to see some of the threats to the Amazon rainforest firsthand with Dr. Tom Lovejoy of The H. John Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment and other activists. Seeing the destruction firsthand made me better understand how precious these forests are and how important it is that we conserve them.

Did you know that 17% of global carbon emissions come from tropical deforestation? What’s even more troubling is that rainforests absorb almost one fifth of global carbon emissions each year. Which is why I agree with Prince Charles: "If we lose the battle against tropical deforestation we lost the battle against climate change."

And which is why I’m pleased to be a supporter of The Prince’s Rainforest Project. I joined with many leaders in the US to speak in this video on behalf of the rainforests. Over half of the world’s species call the rainforests home. The frog in this video is just one of the countless creatures, including humans, that are depending on us to make sure they have a safe place to live.

I encourage you to add your voice to the many others speaking on behalf of protecting tropical rainforests.  Go to The Prince’s Rainforest Project.