Deforestation harms climate less than other types of Amazon degradation, study finds

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🗞️ Driving the news: A new study reveals that deforestation contributes less to climate damage in the Amazon compared to other forms of degradation like logging, burning, and natural disturbances
• These factors account for 83% of carbon emissions from the Amazon, with deforestation contributing only 17%

🔭 The context: Brazil's President Lula da Silva has reduced deforestation rates significantly since taking office in 2023
• The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, uses advanced airborne laser scanning for more precise data than satellite imagery

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The Amazon's role as a carbon sink is critical in mitigating climate change
• This study indicates that focusing solely on deforestation overlooks other significant sources of carbon emissions, stressing the need for broader environmental protection measures

⏭️ What's next: The Brazilian government is enhancing efforts to combat degradation and fires, including deploying federal firefighters and allocating funds for state-level firefighting
• The complexity of monitoring diverse degradation causes poses a significant challenge

💬 One quote: "The government thinks if we reduce deforestation, we also reduce degradation. That's scientifically incorrect, and that's what this paper is also showing." — Erika Berenguer, tropical ecologist at University of Oxford and Lancaster University

📈 One stat: Human-caused degradation and natural disturbances in the Amazon account for 83% of carbon emissions, with only 17% from deforestation

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