Africa’s forests have shifted from absorbing carbon to emitting it, marking a dramatic reversal that mirrors troubling trends in the Amazon and Southeast Asia. A new Scientific Reports study shows that between 2010 and 2017, the continent lost about 106 billion kilograms of forest biomass annually, driven by land clearing for farming, mining, infrastructure growth, and rising global temperatures. Using satellite data and machine learning, researchers found Africa had been gaining carbon until 2010, after which accelerating forest loss tipped the balance. Scientists warn this decline threatens one of the world’s key natural climate buffers and urge rapid expansion of Brazil’s $100-billion Tropical Forest Forever Facility, which currently has only $6.5 billion committed, to protect these forests.
The Guardian
