Global Warming

Amazon Rainforest at ‘tipping point’

The Amazon rainforest may be nearing a “tipping point” of dieback, the point where rainforest will turn to savanna, a new study shows.

Signs of loss have been found in more than 75% of the rainforest since the early 2000s, according to research that outlines this troubling trend. Deforestation and climate change are likely the main drivers of this decline.

Using satellite remote sensing data, researchers found what they call “resilience” – the ability to recover from events such as droughts or fires – has declined consistently in the vast majority of the Amazon rainforest. Loss of resilience is most prominent in areas that are closer to human activity, as well as in those that receive less rainfall, the study said.

Overall, the Amazon rainforest is becoming much less resilient – raising the risk of widespread dieback. The rainforest can look more or less the same, yet it can be losing resilience – making it slower to recover from a major event like a drought.

Experts believe the Amazon could soon reach a critical line, the crossing of which would trigger dieback and turn much of the forest to savanna. That would have major consequences for biodiversity, global carbon storage and climate change. It is not clear when that point could be reached, but the study said the loss of resilience is “consistent” with an approaching watershed moment.

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