For 55 million years, heavy rain has brought life and splendour to the Amazon rainforest.  But a rapid increase in deforestation is threatening the very water systems that make the forest …  well, a rainforest.   The destruction of the Amazon threatens water security, both in the rainforest itself, and further south in more temperate climes.    …Despite South America’s dependence on the rainforest for water, there was a 34 per cent increase in deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon in 2019, compared to 2018 when an estimated 10,129 square kilometres was clear cut. …Forests make clouds, which in turn create rain, explains Amazon expert Bill Laurance of James Cook University.  The Amazon rainforest is large enough to cover about three quarters of the Australian mainland and Professor Laurance says its sheer size allows it to have a profound impact on the world’s weather.