Tropical forests losing their ability to absorb carbon, study finds

Amazon could turn into source of CO₂ in atmosphere by next decade, research suggests

Tropical forests are taking up less carbon dioxide from the air, reducing their ability to act as "carbon sinks" and bringing closer the prospect of accelerating climate breakdown.

The Amazon could turn into a source of carbon in the atmosphere, instead of one of the biggest absorbers of the gas, as soon as the next decade, owing to the damage caused by loggers and farming interests and the impacts of the climate crisis, new research has found.