With deforestation on the rise, Amazon emits more CO2 than it absorbs

A study conducted by researchers Luciana Gatti, Luana Basso, and Raiane Neves, from the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), indicates that the Brazilian Amazon now emits more carbon dioxide (CO2) than it absorbs. Deforestation and large-scale burning by human action, scientists say, are the major causes for the change.

The research, published in the scientific journal Nature, was conducted between 2010 and 2018 and identified four main spots in the biome that emit 410 million metric tons of CO2 per year. The most worrisome is the stretch between southern Pará state, a region dominated by agribusiness, the stage for the so-called “Day of Fire” in August 2019, and northern Mato Grosso state.