The ‘tipping point’, which can turn a forest into a savannah, is approaching faster than expected

Under the weight of global warming and deforestation, the Amazon is approaching a “turning pointWhich could turn the world’s largest tropical forest into a savannah, according to a study published Monday, March 7 in the journal. The nature of climate change.

To arrive at this alarming new discovery, researchers analyzed 25 years of satellite data to assess the resilience of the Amazon rainforest to shocks such as fire or drought.

This key indicator of the overall health of the Amazonian ecosystem has fallen on more than 75% of its surface and up to 50% in resilience in the worst places, especially near human activities or affected by drought.

According to models, global warming alone could push the Amazon, a carbon sink vital to the planet’s balance, toward an irreparable transformation into the savannah. The latest report from the IPCC, UN climate experts, published a week ago, once again alerted to this possibility, which according to certain models could run into around 2050.

“But obviously it’s not just about climate change, people are cutting down or burning the forest, and that’s a second pressure point.”Tim Linton, from Britain’s University of Exeter, and co-author of the study says.“These two factors interact, so there are concerns that transmission will occur sooner.”.

It has already passed through the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, which accounts for 60% of the total, according to a recent study by “carbon sink” A net carbon source, over the past decade it has released 20% more of these powerful greenhouse gases than it has absorbed.