Amazon fires release record amounts of CO2

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Researchers from the European Commission's Joint Research Centre reveal that the Amazon rainforest is experiencing its worst fire season in more than two decades, confirming the region's growing ecological fragility despite curbs on deforestation. In 2024, fires in the Amazon rainforest released 791 million tonnes of CO2, a seven-fold increase on the average of the previous two years.

The study found that 3.3 million hectares of the Amazon rainforest were affected by fires last year. The extraordinary increase in fires is likely due to a combination of extreme drought, forest fragmentation and poor land management. The research is based on a sophisticated methodology that overcomes many of the limitations of previous global fire datasets.

The geographic distribution of the fires was also alarming. In Brazil, it was the year with the highest level of emissions from forest degradation on record. In Bolivia, fires affected over nine percent of the remaining intact forest cover.

To maintain transparency and accuracy, the researchers used a Monte Carlo simulation framework to estimate carbon emissions and their uncertainties across variables including biomass density, completeness of combustion, and percentage of forest cover affected by fire. The resulting confidence intervals follow Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change best practices and provide a robust measure for monitoring the carbon consequences of forest fires in tropical regions.

Unlike previous reports that have warned of the dangers of deforestation, the new study highlights the degradation caused by fires that will undermine forest integrity. The study calls for immediate and coordinated action to reduce the use of fires, strengthen forest protection policies, and support local and indigenous forest management efforts. Finally, it also highlights the need for strengthened international climate finance mechanisms that address forest degradation, not just deforestation.

Source: ScienceDaily, Editorial Weathersunshine.com