How warming and deforestation is turning the Amazon basin into a source of CO2


By AGENCY

The Amazon basin contains about half of the world's tropical rainforests, which are more effective at soaking up and storing carbon than other vegetation. Photo: AFP

Climate change and deforestation have flipped a large swathe of the Amazon basin from absorbing to emitting planet-warming CO2, a transformation that could turn humanity's greatest natural ally in the fight against global warming into a foe, researchers reported recently.

Hundreds of high-altitude air samples collected over the last decade showed that southeastern Amazon, in particular, has shifted from a "sink" to a source of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, they reported in the journal Nature.

Subscribe now and stand a chance to win prizes worth over RM40,000! T&C applies.

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

RM 9.73/month

Billed as RM 9.73 for the 1st month, RM 13.90 thereafter.

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 8.63/month

Billed as RM 103.60 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.


Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Others Also Read


Want to listen to full audio?

Unlock unlimited access to enjoy personalise features on the TheStar.com.my

Already a subscriber? Log In