The human mission to ruin the planet gathers pace
New research has suggested that the Amazon rainforest may now emit more greenhouse gases than it absorbs, as climate change and mass deforestation continue to transform the crucial ecosystem.
As the biggest rainforest in the world, the Amazon was one of the major carbon sinks on our planet, as its millions of trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere. But a new study published in March in the journal Frontiers in Forests and Global Change suggests that rising temperatures, droughts, and mass deforestation have overwhelmed the rainforest’s ability to absorb more greenhouse gases than it emits.
Crucially the study looked at all greenhouse gases, not just CO2. Whilst the rainforest still absorbs a vast amount of the gas, it is emitting far more of other hugely significant greenhouse gases such as methane, nitrous oxide, aerosols and sooty black carbon.
Speaking to New Republic, environmental scientist Kristofer Covey, explained. Covey said: “If you’re only looking at the carbon picture, you’re missing a big part of the story.
“We need to start understanding the full complexity of this ecosystem. We’re down there tinkering at a massive scale, and we don’t really understand the full implications of what we’re doing.
“Cutting the forest is interfering with its carbon uptake; that’s a problem.
“When you start to look at these other factors alongside CO2, it gets really hard to see how the net effect isn’t that the Amazon as a whole is really warming global climate.”
One of the major issues facing the Amazon rainforest is the mass clearing of land to rear cattle and livestock. As entire football pitches of trees are burnt away, not only are they not able to absorb Co2, but they also release CO2 when destroyed. Cattle then release massive amounts of methane, pumping out even more greenhouse gases.
The lost forest then has ramifications on the ecosystem, encouraging patterns of rainfall to change, thus making the area hotter and drier, which has been show to increase greenhouse emissions.
Can you see the loop here? Deforestation leads to more greenhouse gas emissions, which leads to warmer weather, which leads to more greenhouse gas emissions.
Of course, there is still time to change this, but lasting damage has already been caused, and we are rapidly approaching a sheer cliff edge. Research has suggested that once 20-25% of the Amazon is destroyed, a cataclysmic tipping point will be reached from which the rainforest won’t be able to recover.
To date, about 17% of the world’s greatest ecosystem has been lost. It’s depressing and shocking. But most importantly, it’s true, it’s happening right now, and it can be halted.
