How does deforestation in the Amazon contribute to climate change?

1 DAY TO AMAZON DAY

O Amazon Day is celebrated on September 5th and its main objective is to make people aware of the importance of the largest tropical forest in the world, whose biodiversity is connected to life across the planet and has suffered constant attacks. This date was chosen as a way to honor the creation of the Province of Amazonas (currently the State of Amazonas) by D. Pedro II, in 1850.

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First, it is important to understand the size of the Amazon rainforest.

The Legal Amazon is 5 million square kilometers, if it were a country, it would be the 6th largest in the world in terms of territorial extension.

she encompasses 59% of Brazilian territory, distributed across 775 municipalities, and represents 67% of the world's tropical forests.

Um third of the planet's trees are in the region, in addition to 20% of fresh waters.

Data: imazon

It also houses 10% of biodiversity of the world and 17% of the planet's photosynthesis takes place there.

And why talk about photosynthesis?

Because it is through this tree that “suck” carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air and store it in the ground – this is called “carbon sequestration".

Carbon sequestration: understand how deforestation harms this process (G1)
Everything about Carbon Sequestration policies! (Politicize!)

O carbon dioxide (CO₂) is one of the main greenhouse gases. Its high concentration in the atmosphere accelerates the global warming, which drives climate change.

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Forests therefore act as natural carbon storage areas, absorbing CO₂ of the atmosphere.

The Amazon plays an exceptional role against climate change in this regard, storing approximately 128 billion tons of carbon in soil and trees - And removing around 600 million tons per year from the atmospheresystem. (Human Rights Watch)

But deforestation and fires have the opposite effect: as the forest is cut down and burned, it releases large amounts of CO₂ In the atmospheresystem. (IPAM Amazon)

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Currently – due to rampant deforestation – the Amazon has emitted more carbon than it has been able to absorb: it has become a real source of CO₂system. (FAPESP)

Furthermore, the growing fires in the region and unlimited mining and livestock activities emit other greenhouse gases – such as nitrous oxide and methane – further intensifying the problem.

Amazon: new record for fires, roads cut 41% of its forest area and +

See highlights from Curto Green this Thursday (01): the Curto Today begins a countdown until Amazon Day (5) and we are already starting with some not-so-good news: updated data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) indicate that the last month of August recorded the highest number of fires in the biome in 12 years; and an unprecedented mapping – carried out by the Amazon Institute of Man and Environment (Imazon) – showed that roads already cut through or approach 41% of the Amazon forest area in Brazil.

In recent years, we have witnessed an accelerated pace of destruction in the Amazon. If we continue like this, the largest tropical forest in the world could become a savanna in the 21st century, withpromehaving all life on Earthsystem. (Nature Climate Change*)

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One of the savana It is made up of grasses, shrubs and scattered trees. It is a biome that adapts to periods of drought and also to fire, growing in soils that are generally poor in nutrients. In Brazil, savannas correspond to the Cerrado and Caatingasystem. (Brazil School)