WILD NEWS
CLIMATE CHANGE
Amazon reaches CO2 tipping point
“This is a very loud wake-up call that the onslaught on Amazonian forests should be stopped urgently.”
Deforestation and fires mean the rainforest is now releasing more carbon dioxide than it can lock away.
Pioneering new research has revealed that parts of the Amazon are now emitting more carbon dioxide than they can absorb, prompting scientists to call for urgent action to protect the world’s biggest tropical rainforest.
Deforestation and forest fires increase emissions, and the nine-year study found that the south-east of the Amazon was the worst affected, with higher rates of tree loss and an increasing number of fires, many of which are deliberately lit in an effort to clear land for the production of beef
