AFRONAUT ACADEMY™

Afronaut Academy™ is an educational storytelling experience where children learn about science, technology, and caring for the Earth through original Afronauts missions and characters. The Academy offers ongoing educational and entertainment content that introduces real-world STEM ideas—such as ecosystems, energy, and problem-solving—in an engaging and age-appropriate way.

JANUARY 2, 2026

HOW THE AMAZON

RAINFOREST

HELPS THE WHOLE PLANET BREATHE

A STEM Explainer from Afronaut Academy™

Listen Up

The Amazon rainforest is a powerful natural system that helps balance the air, climate, and weather of our planet. In this Afronaut Academy audio explainer, young explorers learn how trees make oxygen, store carbon, and even help create rain—showing why protecting forests protects life everywhere.

The Amazon rainforest is one of the most important ecosystems on Earth. It’s often called “the lungs of the planet.” While that nickname isn’t perfectly scientific, the Amazon really does play a huge role in helping keep Earth’s air and climate healthy.

Here’s how it works.

Plants Are Oxygen Makers

Trees and plants in the Amazon use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make their own food in a process called photosynthesis. When they do this, they release oxygen into the air. With billions of trees and plants, the Amazon produces an enormous amount of oxygen every single day.

A Giant Oxygen Exchange System

While the Amazon doesn’t create most of the oxygen we breathe forever (much of it is reused by plants, animals, and microbes), it is a major part of Earth’s oxygen cycle. The rainforest helps keep oxygen and carbon dioxide in balance, which is essential for life all over the planet.

The Amazon Also Traps Carbon

One of the Amazon’s superpowers is storing carbon dioxide, a gas that can warm the planet if there’s too much of it in the atmosphere. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and lock it away in their trunks, branches, and roots. This helps slow climate change and keeps Earth from overheating.

Rainforests Create Rain

The Amazon doesn’t just affect the air—it affects the weather. Trees release water vapor into the atmosphere, which helps form clouds and rain. This process helps regulate rainfall across South America and even influences weather patterns around the world.

What Happens When the Forest Burns?

When parts of the Amazon are destroyed by fires or deforestation:

  • Fewer trees are left to make oxygen

  • More carbon dioxide is released into the air

  • Weather patterns can change

  • Animals and people lose their homes

That’s why protecting the Amazon matters to everyone—not just the people who live there.

Afronaut Academy Takeaway

The Amazon rainforest is a powerful natural system that helps Earth breathe, balance its climate, and support life everywhere. When we protect forests, we protect our planet—and our future.

Afronauts fly with science. And with soul.