The Amazon Now Emits More Carbon Than It Absorbs

Fires burned in the forest tipped the balance this year

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The Amazon rainforest is now emitting more carbon than it is able to absorb, a study by a team of international researchers has found.

For generations, the vast area of forest, often referred to as the ‘lungs of the Earth’, naturally absorbed carbon dioxide in the air. But now, the researchers say it is putting out around one billion tonnes of carbon dioxide more a year than it can absorb.

The whole Amazon basin comprises about half of the planet’s tropical rainforests, though the study only covered the forests found in Brazil, which make up about 60 per cent of that figure.