The Amazon Rainforest Now Emits More Greenhouse Gases Than It Absorbs

[orleans]

"Climate change and deforestation have transformed the ecosystem into a net source of planet-warming gases instead of a carbon sink

The Amazon rainforest may now emit more greenhouse gases than the famously lush ecosystem absorbs, according to new research.

Long considered to be a bulwark against climate change because of its capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, a new study suggests rising temperatures, increasing drought and rampant deforestation have likely overwhelmed the Amazon’s ability to absorb more greenhouse gases than it emits, reports Craig Welch for National Geographic.

The sobering findings appear in a new study published earlier this month in the journal Frontiers in Forests and Global Change that calculates, for the first time, the net emissions of greenhouse gases from both human and natural sources in the Amazon Basin, reports Liz Kimbrough for Mongabay.

A key distinction in appreciating the study’s findings is that they do not just concern carbon dioxide, according to Mongabay. Though carbon dioxide often gets top billing in discussions around climate change, there are many other significant greenhouse gases, including methane, nitrous oxide, aerosols and sooty black carbon.

So, while the Amazon still absorbs and stores a prodigious amount of carbon, its net greenhouse gas emissions have tipped from negative to positive—not just because its capacity to absorb carbon dioxide has been damaged by human activity, but also because the transforming landscape has increased emissions of these other greenhouse gases.

more at link
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/amazon-rainforest-now-emits-more-greenhouse-gases-it-absorbs-180977347/

[Hugh_Lebowski]

1. The headline is an extremely poor way of framing the issue at hand here

Disappointed in the Smithsonian on this one.

"So, while the Amazon still absorbs and stores a prodigious amount of carbon, its net greenhouse gas emissions have tipped from negative to positive—not just because its capacity to absorb carbon dioxide has been damaged by human activity, but also because the transforming landscape has increased emissions of these other greenhouse gases."

So ... we're blaming the 'rainforest' THAT'S NOT EVEN THERE ANYMORE BECAUSE OF HUMANS ... for being a net emitter of ACC gases?

Genius 'argument' there guys. I guess people should just destroy ALL the 'rainforest' now, since it's a net emitter

[Hortensis]

2. I notice that also. Amazon rainforest REGIONS now...

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

6. I agree, it's not the forest cutting itself down!!! Fucking humans are a blight

[DFW]

3. I doubt the Xingu people-what's left of them-use too many aerosol cans

Bolsonaro's deforestation, allowed to proceed at a pace even greater than the destructive rate under his predecessors, is still the biggest factor in this mess. If it isn't brought to a screeching halt and a reversal started, like yesterday, the Amazon forest, long known as the world's "green lung," will cease to function as such forever.

[modrepub]

4. Scary Part

is the region is probably more stable as an open savanna (grassland). It will probably be difficult if not impossible to regrow the rainforest if the conversion becomes complete.

[spinbaby]

7. That's it exactly

If you just leave the land alone, rainforest doesn’t just come back. I’ve been in areas where rainforest has been cut down for farms and then abandoned. The land becomes a kind of low scrub, kind of like what most of Florida looks like.

[marie999]

5. I believe that we are close enough to the tipping point,

that not enough is being done nor will be done to stop climate change from destroying the ecosystem we need to have a decent future.

[modrepub]

8. We Are Probably Already Past That

Scientists estimated the Greenland Ice Cap will be unsustainable once CO2 levels go much past 400 ppb. We past that last year.

Couple of points. First, the Earth-Climate system doesn't care what level we "set the thermostat" at. It will adjust accordingly and the biota will either adapt or perish. There are plenty of examples in Earth's past history where CO2 levels were much higher than today and life was still vibrant. We are probably going to have to deal with upheavals due to rapid shifts in the climate system (both cold and warm). There's a reason our military is concerned about climate change since we will call on them to try and control the world's political system as it reacts to changing climate.

Second, in the event of rapid climate change politicians are going to be attracted to geo engineered mitigation. One option is to periodically inject SO2 into the upper atmosphere to reflect some of the Earth's sunlight and cool the atmosphere. Or if you're a Futurama fan, we drop a big chunk of ice on the north pole periodically to cool the Earth down or use robot exhaust to move the planet further away from the sun. My point here is there's nothing to stop any country from unilaterally acting on their own. Problem with these solutions is there's no guarantee they will work and they could actually make things worse.

[roamer65]

9. Humans in 100 years will be a mere fraction of what they are now.

Population wise.

Climate change and the resulting wars.

[modrepub]

10. Not Discounting That Possibility

But humans as a species are highly adaptable. Collectively we've already lived through one glacial cycle and probably more. We've colonized just about every continent on the globe, from burning hot deserts to frigid glacial terrain. We certainly have the ability to adapt.

The question is will we. I have some faith in the younger generation. They're pretty smart and engaged. If we can get politicians and nay sayers out of the way I think they will do great things. I choose hope over pessimism. The true answer, as always, will probably lie somewhere between the extremes.

[marie999]

11. In the last ice age there no more than 10 million people.

[modrepub]

12. We Didn't Have Combine Harvesters

Airplanes, telecommunications, highway infrastructure, highly developed healthcare systems, climate forecast models, et cetera. Point is we have a lot more sophisticated tools than we did 19k years ago.

Not that we aren't are own worst enemies at times. We need to offer some hope or folks are just going to conclude the situation is hopeless and we do virtually nothing.