Amazon Rainforest No Longer a Carbon Sink:
A study published in the journal Nature found that the Amazon rainforest has become a net source of carbon emissions rather than a carbon sink, as deforestation, forest fires and rising temperatures have weakened its capacity to absorb carbon dioxide.
- The Amazon emitted an annual average of 1.17 billion tonnes of CO₂ more than it absorbed, with forest fires alone releasing approximately 1.47 billion tonnes of CO₂ annually.
- 2024 recorded the highest annual net emissions, approximately 2.97 billion tonnes of CO₂, during the study period.
- Precipitation declined by 17% during the dry-season peak (August–October) between 1979 and 2018, alongside a 0.9°C rise in annual temperature.
- El Niño-induced droughts and rising temperatures intensified forest fires. Only 1.6% and 1.0% of fire events were associated with lightning in 2023 and 2024, respectively, indicating that most fires were human-induced and aggravated by drought conditions.
- Expansion of mining, pastureland and soybean plantations, along with deforestation and biomass burning, are major drivers of forest degradation.
- The weakening of the Amazon’s carbon sink threatens global climate regulation, accelerates atmospheric CO₂ accumulation and underscores the need for zero-deforestation policies, fire prevention and forest restoration.
