Amazon emits 1.17 billion more tons of carbon per year, study in Nature finds

Atmospheric measurements taken over the course of fifteen years have proven that the burning of forest biomass has far outweighed the sequestration of polluting gases by living trees.

Between 2010 and 2024, the Amazon released an annual average of 1.17 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, an amount exceeding what it was able to absorb. Historically recognised as a regulator of the global climate, the region’s vegetation has shifted into a state of persistent imbalance, driven by human-induced pressure on the ecosystem.

Forest fires are the primary factor behind this significant shift in environmental dynamics. While the forest’s average absorption rate stood at approximately 300 million tons per year, fires released an annual average of about 1.47 billion tons of polluting gases into the air.

The impact of fires and extreme weather on the biome

Scientific analyses have shown that the progression of deforestation and periods of prolonged drought have intensified the functional loss of vegetation cover. In scenarios marked by severe climate stress associated with El Niño, the annual rate of net carbon release reached a record high of 1.8 billion tons.

Paraná do Arauató Indigenous Territory, …….