The Amazon in South America is the largest, most diverse tropical rainforest on Earth. It has been described as the “Lungs of our Planet” because it continuously recycles carbon dioxide into oxygen. More than 20% of the world oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest. But a new study published in March found that the forest is now emitting more CO2 than it is able to absorb. The researchers said it was most likely the result of each year’s deforestation and fires making adjacent forests more susceptible the next year. The trees produce much of the region’s rain, so fewer trees means more severe droughts and heatwaves and more tree deaths and fires.
For generations, Amazonia, which spans more than two million square miles, was a reliable carbon sink, meaning that it naturally absorbed high levels of carbon dioxide from the air, and it played an important role in keeping the global environment stable.
However, in recent decades, humans have increasingly contributed to the degradation of the Amazon, upsetting a crucial natural balance. Of the 17% of forest reduction that occurred over the last 50 years, about 14% of that loss to the agricultural industry, which has burned the land and used it for crops and livestock, the report states.
Burning the rainforest to make room for crops or livestock can pose dangers for the climate, even decades after those fires occur. Research shows that areas that were burned as long ago as 30 years back — and the accompanying decomposing trees — were still considerable sources of carbon dioxide. Past fires and other factors like logging can also degrade nearby areas that were previously untouched and make those areas more susceptible to burning, according to the study.
Credit : npr
Picture Credit : Google
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