The recent revelations about the Amazon rainforests’ shift from being carbon absorbers to carbon emitters have sparked significant concern among scientists and environmentalists. According to a study, instead of absorbing Carbon dioxide (CO2) as they usually do, these forests have begun to emit the greenhouse gas, thereby potentially contributing to global warming. As one of the largest tropical forests, the Amazon has played a pivotal role in absorbing a substantial part of fossil fuel emissions since 1960.
The Disturbing Findings
Over the past 40 years, extensive deforestation in eastern and southeastern Brazil has transformed these once helpful forests into major sources of CO2 with capabilities of significantly warming the planet. This abrupt shift might not only have local environmental implications but could also affect global weather patterns by triggering a long-term decrease in rainfall and an increase in temperatures during the dry season.
Unfortunately, the Amazon’s predicament is not unique. Some forests in Southeast Asia have undergone similar transformations, turning into carbon sources due mainly to plantation development and fire incidents. In fact, the frequency of forest fires has doubled since 2013, with most occurring as a result of farmers burning their lands for crop cultivation. Notably, even without fires, certain parts of the Amazon are still emitting carbon – a scenario which suggests a gradual degradation of these forests due to recurring deforestation and fires year after year.
Underlying Reasons for Deforestation
The primary factors leading to deforestation are state policies that inadvertently promote it. These include infrastructure projects like railway and road expansions across the Amazon and Central America. The onset of large-scale deforestation dates back to the 1970s and 1980s when widespread conversion of forests for cattle ranching and soy cultivation commenced.
About Amazon Rainforests
The Amazon rainforests are massive tropical ecosystems located in the drainage basin of the Amazon River and its affiliates in northern South America. Characterized by their closed-canopy structure, these forests flourish within 28 degrees north or south of the equator. They are typically humid areas, receiving over 200 cm of rainfall annually, whether seasonally or throughout the year, with temperatures consistently ranging between 20°C and 35°C.
Similar types of forests are scattered across Asia, Australia, Africa, South America, Central America, Mexico, and numerous Pacific Islands. The Amazon rainforests, which cover approximately 80% of the Amazon basin, shelter nearly one-fifth of the world’s land species and around 30 million people, including several indigenous groups and isolated tribes. The basin, being nearly twice the size of India, contributes about 20% of the world’s freshwater flow into the oceans.
The Path Ahead
To ensure the continued function of tropical forests as carbon sinks, significant reductions in fossil fuel emissions are required. Simultaneously, it is crucial to limit temperature increases, further highlighting the need for a concerted global effort towards environmental sustainability.