Amazon near tipping point of switching from rainforest to savannah - study | Environmen... - 0 views
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Much of the Amazon could be on the verge of losing its distinct nature and switching from a closed canopy rainforest to an open savannah with far fewer trees as a result of the climate crisi
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As much as 40% of the existing Amazon rainforest is now at a point where it could exist as a savannah instead of as rainforest,
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Any shift from rainforest to savannah would still take decades to take full effect, but once under way the process is hard to reverse.
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Rainforests support a vastly greater range of species than savannah and play a much greater role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
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This year’s fires in the Amazon are the worst in a decade, with a 60% increase in fire hotspots compared with last year.
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We understand now that rainforests on all continents are very sensitive to global change and can rapidly lose their ability to adapt. Once gone, their recovery will take many decades to return to their original state. And given that rainforests host the majority of all global species, all this will be forever lost.”