Peru Environmental Facts

"One computer model of future climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions shows that the Amazon rainforest could become unsustainable under conditions of severely reduced rainfall and increased temperatures, leading to an almost complete loss of rainforest cover in the basin by 2100.[35][36] However, simulations of Amazon basin climate change across many different models are not consistent in their estimation of any rainfall response, ranging from weak increases to strong decreases [37]. The result indicates that the rainforest could be threatened though the 21st century by climate change in addition to deforestation.

Impact of Amazon drought

In 2005, parts of the Amazon basin experienced the worst drought in 100 years[38], and there are indications that 2006 could be a second successive year of drought[39]. A 23 July 2006 article in the UK newspaper The Independent reported Woods Hole Research Center results showing that the forest in its present form could survive only three years of drought.[40][41] Scientists at the Brazilian National Institute of Amazonian Research argue in the article that this drought response, coupled with the effects of deforestation on regional climate, are pushing the rainforest towards a "tipping point" where it would irreversibly start to die. It concludes that the forest is on the brink of being turned into savanna or desert, with catastrophic consequences for the world's climate.

The Peruvian population, estimated at 28 million, is multiethnic, including Amerindians, Africans and Spaniards. The main spoken language is Spanish, although a significant number of Peruvians speak Quechua and other native languages. This mixture of cultural traditions has resulted in a wide diversity of expressions in fields such as art, cuisine, literature, and music.

In 1968, the Armed Forces, led by General Juan Velasco Alvarado, staged a coup against president Fernando Belaunde. The new regime undertook radical reforms aimed at fostering development but failed to gain widespread support.[23] In 1975, Velasco was forcefully replaced as president by General Francisco Morales Bermúdez, who paralyzed reforms and oversaw the reestablishment of democracy.[24] During the 1980s, Peru faced a considerable external debt, ever-growing inflation, a surge in drug trafficking, and massive political violence.[25] Under the presidency of Alberto Fujimori (1990–2000), the country started to recover, however, accusations of authoritarianism, corruption, and human rights violations forced his resignation after the controversial 2000 elections.[26] Since the end of the Fujimori regime, Peru has tried to fight corruption while sustaining economic growth; the current president is Alan García.[27]

Peru is a developing country with a 2004 Human Development Index score of 0.767.[52] Its 2006 per capita income was US$3,374;[53] 51.6% of its total population is poor, including 19.2% that is extremely poor.[54] Historically, the country's economic performance has been tied to exports, which provide hard currency to finance imports and external debt payments.[55] Although exports have provided substantial revenue, self-sustained growth and a more egalitarian distribution of income have proven elusive.[56]

Peruvian artistic traditions date back to the elaborate pottery, textiles, jewelry, and sculpture of Pre-Inca cultures. The Incas maintained these crafts and made architectural achievements including the construction of Machu Picchu. Baroque art dominated in colonial times, though it was modified by native traditions.[76] During this period, most art focused on religious subjects; the numerous churches of the era and the paintings of the Cuzco School are representative.[77] Arts stagnated after independence until the emergence of Indigenismo in the early 20th century.[78] Since the 1950s, Peruvian art has been eclectic and shaped by both foreign and local art currents.[79]"