A study published in the journal Nature has found that the Amazon rainforest, long counted among the planet's great carbon sinks, has become a net source of carbon emissions. Deforestation, forest fires and rising temperatures have weakened its ability to absorb carbon dioxide, the study says.
The Amazon emitted an annual average of 1.17 billion tonnes of CO2 more than it absorbed. Forest fires alone released about 1.47 billion tonnes of CO2 each year. Of the years studied, 2024 was the worst, with net emissions of roughly 2.97 billion tonnes of CO2.
The distinction matters. A carbon sink takes in more carbon than it gives out, while a net carbon source does the reverse. On the study's numbers, the Amazon has crossed from the first category into the second.
The study ties the shift partly to a changing climate. Rainfall at the dry-season peak, from August to October, fell by 17% between 1979 and 2018. Over the same period, annual temperature rose by 0.9°C.
El Niño-induced droughts and higher temperatures intensified forest fires. The study does not treat the fires as purely natural, though. Lightning was associated with only 1.6% of fire events in 2023 and 1.0% in 2024, which indicates that most fires were human-induced and then aggravated by drought.
Human activity is named as a major driver of forest degradation. The study cites the expansion of mining, pastureland and soybean plantations, along with deforestation and biomass burning. These pressures operate alongside the climate stress. Clearing and burning open up the forest, and drought and heat make the damage worse.
The result is a forest losing both the trees that absorb carbon and the moisture conditions that keep them healthy.
The study warns that a weakened Amazon sink threatens global climate regulation and accelerates the build-up of CO2 in the atmosphere. Carbon the forest once absorbed now adds to the atmospheric load instead.
It stresses the need for zero-deforestation policies, fire prevention and forest restoration.
The scale of what is at stake explains the concern. The Amazon spans about 5.5 million sq km across eight South American countries and French Guiana, with the largest portion in Brazil. It is the world's largest tropical rainforest, supports about 10% of the world's known species, and regulates carbon storage, moisture recycling and regional rainfall.
The Amazon River has the world's highest water discharge, and the wider Amazon region supports over 40 million people, including Indigenous communities. A forest that now adds to emissions is therefore not only a climate problem. It also touches the livelihoods and ecology of the entire region.
With reference to the recent Nature study on the Amazon rainforest, consider the following statements:
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: The study concludes that most Amazon forest fires were human-induced and then aggravated by drought.
Statement-II: Lightning was associated with only 1.6% of fire events in 2023 and 1.0% in 2024.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
Consider the following information about the Amazon rainforest:
| Feature | Information | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Area | About 5.5 million sq km |
| 2. | Share of world's known species | About 10% |
| 3. | Annual temperature change, 1979 to 2018 | Rise of 0.9°C |
| 4. | Year with worst net emissions | 2023, about 2.97 billion tonnes of CO2 |
In how many of the above rows is the given information correctly matched?
