Scientists warn of irreversible damage to Amazon rainforest
The Amazon is vital for regulating the planet’s climate and safeguarding biodiversity, yet mounting threats from deforestation, rising global temperatures, and prolonged droughts are pushing sections of the forest toward permanent transformation.
"This is already happening in the southern Amazon Basin," Jhan-Carlo Espinoza, a Franco-Peruvian researcher at France's Institute of Research for Development (IRD), told Vatican News on Tuesday. He noted that areas such as Bolivia’s Amazon are facing "increasingly severe and prolonged droughts" and are beginning to resemble Brazil’s Cerrado savanna. Record droughts occurred in both 2023 and 2024.
In contrast, northern regions of the basin are experiencing an intensifying hydrological cycle, marked by extreme floods and widespread inundations.
Deforestation Approaching Dangerous Levels
While scientists cannot pinpoint the exact moment the Amazon will hit the so-called “point of no return,” they agree that critical thresholds exist and must not be surpassed.
"Between 17 and 20% of the Amazon forest has already been cleared, equivalent to the combined area of France and Germany," Espinoza said, noting that another 17% has been degraded due to human activity. Over the last twenty years, global temperatures have also reached their highest levels on record, further compounding the forest’s vulnerability.
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