Reporting Back: the world's lungs

(AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

The Amazon rain forest is often called the "lungs of the world," but environmental issues are quickly raising concerns that the forest may soon need a respirator.

In a podcast coming up on asap later today, AP Deputy International Editor Nicolas B. Tatro speaks with Michael Astor, a reporter from the AP bureau in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, about the current state of the rain forests. In this excerpt they discuss a few of the driving forces behind the changes.

-- Ray Kugler