Como a Amazônia regula o clima do planeta

The Amazon is a tropical rainforest because it functions like an enormous water vapor processor. In fact, a number of scientists posit that the rainforest itself controls the climate of the entire Amazonian region. This means that the Amazonian ecosystem is unique.

The rain and carbon cycles are in fact regulated by tiny pores on the surface of tree leaves called stomata. For photosynthesis to occur, a plant needs to open its stomata so as to allow the intake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which, by means of photosynthesis, is transformed into nourishment for the plant. By opening the stomata for the intake of CO2, water vapor is released into the atmosphere.

The Amazon rainforest is a major source of water vapor, irrigating the agribusiness in central Brazil, as well as the country's southern regions and, because of the enormous convection that occurs in the tropical region, it is also a major source of water vapor for the global atmosphere as a whole. In addition to emitting particles directly into the atmosphere, the Amazon rainforest also emits gases called volatile organic compounds that are extremely reactive in the atmosphere. And these particles ultimately lead to cloud nucleation, which, in conjunction with the water vapor released by vegetation, contributes to precipitation in the Amazonian region.

So the Amazon rainforest provides ecosystem services which are absolutely essential to the maintenance of our planet's climate. But the rainforest plays an additional, fundamental role. Its trees and their roots store roughly 100 gigatons of carbon.

This is equivalent to 10 years' worth of worldwide fossil fuel burning. This is of utmost importance because, if we deforest the Amazon, that carbon will be released into the atmosphere, further aggravating the already critical climate condition in which our planet finds itself. In 2019, Brazil 9,750km2 of primary rainforest, It was then burned, leading to the production of greenhouse gases and aerosol particles which affect areas all over Brazil.

Every year, by observing satellite images, we can see enormous smoke clouds rising from the amazonian region and drifting towards southern Brazil. This deforestation is permanent because, once the rainforest's biome is destroyed, it is unlikely that the rainforest will recover its biodiversity and provide the ecosystem services it provided before the slash and burn. And, seeing as our planet is undergoing a clear and rapid process of warming, the Amazon rainforest is already being subjected to additional stress – besides deforestation – which is associated with the increase in global temperatures.

In 2005, we experienced the worst drought of the century. A drought of the same magnitude occurred yet again in 2010 and the ecosystem underwent a large amount of stress, so much so that the forest began releasing carbon into the atmosphere as opposed to absorbing it as it had been doing 10 years ago. It is important to note that Brazil has been highly successful in reducing deforestation.

Moreover, the international commitments proposed by Brazil in the Paris Agreement state that the country must put an end to deforestation of the Amazon and reforest 12 million hectares across the country. We have to use our heads and find ways to sustainably develop the Amazon rainforest. A number of experiments, especially those funded by the Amazon Fund, have shown that this is not only possible, but also profitable for Brazil.

It generates employment, promotes a rise in productivity in the agriculture and livestock industry because of the increase in precipitation and rain in central Brazil, all of which can also help attenuate global climate change.