Science

Wildfires cause Amazon to emit 1.17 billion more metric tons of CO₂ than it absorbs

Source: Phys.org · Published 22 Oct 2026, 17:00

From 2010 to 2024, the Amazon rainforest—the largest tropical rainforest on the planet—released an average of 1.17 billion metric tons more carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere than it absorbed each year. Wildfires were the main source, emitting approximately 1.47 billion metric tons of CO₂ per year—far exceeding the forest's absorption capacity of 300 million metric tons per year.

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