Blimey, this is a bit depressing, sorry! But so important I decided to share it anyway.
Research over the last 10 years is showing that, rather than absorbing excess carbon and therefore helping to keep the planet from warming more, parts of the Amazon rainforests are releasing carbon! Not good news.
FADING FOREST
Read the full article in Nature journal and see the charts this refers to.
Air samples taken over the Amazon rainforest at five sites (orange dots) track the movement of carbon dioxide into and out of the forest between 2010 and 2018. By measuring the total flow of carbon (black) and subtracting that released by fires (grey), researchers calculate the net flux (orange). Negative values indicate carbon sinks — areas that absorb more than they naturally emit. The southeast has become a carbon source, releasing more than it absorbs.
Lead researcher Luciana Gatti finds her results upsetting – and so should we all….
“We are killing this ecosystem directly and indirectly,” she says, choking up. She wipes a tear from her eye. “This is what scares me terribly and why it’s affecting me so much when I come here. I’m observing the forest dying.”
I know this seems like such a big, remote thing we can’t do much about. But we must. What can you do to help lower your carbon emissions locally? Every little thing we do will help.
Think about woodburners as we go into Autumn: read this and this – learn how to make sure yours is as efficient as possible or get rid maybe?
Eat less meat and grains, as identified in the article – we use too much of our land for producing them.
Maybe choose 1 or 2 things you can do from this top list of carbon reducing tips from the BBC:
Best Ways To Reduce Carbon Footprint
Meantime, I shall leave us with some environmental good news and hope – this is a fascinating idea:
The living things that feast on plastic
Knowable Magazine
Scientists are scouring garbage sites around the world for bacteria, fungi and even insects that harbor enzymes that could be harnessed for breaking down various polymers. It’s early days, but if the efforts can be efficiently scaled-up, such biological recycling could put a dent in the plastic waste problem.