US EditionFrequent Large-Scale Wildfires Are Turning Forests From Carbon Sinks Into Super‑emitters, Warn Scientists
- Researchers reported that in 2024, tropical forests lost a record 67,000 square kilometres mainly due to wildfires, especially in Brazil and Bolivia.
- The surge in intense fires followed a severe drought fueled by climate change and El Niño, combined with land clearing for agriculture and weakening protection policies.
- Fires caused 48% of total tropical primary forest loss, emitted 3.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases, and surpassed agriculture as the main driver for the first time.
- Prof Matthew Hansen called the results "frightening" and warned of Amazon "savannisation," while Rod Taylor described the situation as a new amplifying climate feedback loop.
- Experts say the findings highlight urgent need for consistent political will and effective forest protection, with hopes placed on COP30 in Brazil to promote sustainable solutions.
86 Articles
86 Articles
Mexico City.- Mexico lost 90 thousand hectares of primary tropical forest in 2024, almost twice as much as the previous year, and the main cause was the fires, warns a report from the Global Forest Watch platform (GFW) of the World Resources Institute (WRI). The report released this Wednesday based on data from the Global Land Analysis and Discovery Laboratory (GLAD) of the University of Maryland, indicates that a second factor in forest loss is…
Frequent large-scale wildfires are turning forests from carbon sinks into super‑emitters, warn scientists
Forests once hailed as reliable carbon sinks are rapidly becoming "super‑emitters" as record‑breaking wildfires sweep boreal, Amazonian, and Australian landscapes. Today's climate policies and voluntary carbon markets seldom account for the sharp rise in fire‑driven emissions.
Wildfires drive record global forest losses
The NewsWildfires drove a record loss of the world’s forests in 2024. In tropical regions, fire became the biggest cause of forest loss for the first time since records began, ahead of logging, agriculture, and mining. Brazil saw the greatest losses — 10,000 square miles, or 42% of the total area lost — a World Resources Institute report found. Some countries, including Indonesia and Malaysia, had success at stemming deforestation, but overall 1…
Brazil accounted for most of the world's forest fires last year
Brazil topped the world last year in forest fires, accounting for 42% of the global loss of primary tropical forests. The extreme heat of the year, exacerbated by climate change and El Niño, intensified fires, which destroyed more forest than agribusiness activities for the first time. The worst drought ever recorded contributed to a sixfold increase in fire-related deforestation compared to 2023.
EU delays forest protection rules as wildfire-driven deforestation hits 20-year high
Tropical forest destruction surged in 2024 due to record-breaking wildfires, just as the European Union moved to postpone a key anti-deforestation regulation.Louise Guillot reports for POLITICO.In short:Nearly seven million hectares of primary tropical forest were lost in 2024, with almost half due to wildfires, according to data from the World Resources Institute and the University of Maryland.Fires also devastated boreal forests in Russia and …
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