Just as damaging: Clearing small areas of rainforest has outsized climate impact

A file picture from 2021 showing deforestation near the border of Amazonia and Cerrado in Nova Xavantina, Brazil. Deforestation on a smaller scale has an equally negative impact on the climate, a study says. — Reuters

Think of the destruction of Earth’s rainforests and a familiar image may come to mind: fires or chainsaws tearing through enormous swathes of the Amazon, releasing masses of planet-warming carbon dioxide.

But new research suggests that deforestation on a much smaller scale is just as damaging for the climate, greatly reducing the capacity of tropical rainforests to absorb carbon from the atmosphere.