The Amazon rainforest has entered a death spiral

[NickB79]

https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/04/south-american-monsoon-heading-towards-tipping-point-likely-to-cause-amazon-dieback

The South American monsoon, which determines the climate of much of the continent, is being pushed towards a “critical destabilisation point”, according to a study that links regional rainfall to Amazon deforestation and global heating.

The authors of the report said they found their results “shocking” and urged policymakers to act with urgency to forestall a tipping point, which could result in up to 30% less rainfall, a dieback of the forest and a dire impact on food production.

Snip

Human degradation of the Amazon – by land clearance, fire, logging and mining – is pushing that system towards a tipping point, after which drier conditions would be expected to cause an abrupt “regime shift” in the rainforest, which would be unable to sustain itself and transport moisture.

Other biomes in the region would also be affected, along with swathes of agricultural land because the monsoon stretches thousands of miles south from the Amazon to the River Plate (Rio de la Plata) basin. There would also be a climate impact because the Amazon – which would be worst affected – has historically served as an important carbon sink, though another study this week suggests it is now so degraded that it is at best carbon neutral. A dieback of the forest would release enormous amounts of carbon.

[GPV]

1. Heaven help us

[Think. Again.]

2. This is a very big deal.

[Irish_Dem]

3. Our planet is dying.

[roamer65]

10. ...and we will die with it.

Mother Nature eventually will rectify the situation, by eliminating the problem.

[Irish_Dem]

12. Yes exactly, once we are gone, mother nature will get back her pristine and exquisite planet.

[Calculating]

13. Hard to imagine humans entirely dying

Minus a dinosaur level extinction event. We're too adaptable and too smart, spread over the whole world and all biomes, we could even live underground farming with nuclear power of we wanted to. Granted about 99% of us might die...

[Irish_Dem]

14. Yes I know. Hard to make humans extinct.

Who knows how many times we blown up the planet and ourselves.
Only to start over again with the remaining 1% ????

[Irish_Dem]

17. A global emergency with humans facing extinction is not the time to be academically pedantic.

In my opinion.

[Hekate]

4. KnR, with grief

[Bayard]

5. Too many people remain oblivious

Its just not real to them yet.

[Elessar Zappa]

7. After this past summer and winter, it should be dawning on them that something not good is happening

[Delphinus]

9. Until

it hits folks up side the head, involves them personally, I don't know if they will ever understand.

[flamingdem]

6. What about Lulu?

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva did some good things. Guessing it's not near enough. BUT better than Bolsonaro!!

[ShazzieB]

8. Good God.

I can't even get my head around this.

[WarGamer]

11. Humans fucked around...

"Find Out Time" is just around the corner

[Johnny2X2X]

18. Another problem is consistency

Those protecting something have to protect it always, or it's gone. With Brazil, Lula can protect it for his term, but if a Right Winger gets in next, they can destroy too much to recover from in a short time. If I was standing guard protecting a tree, and I took a break, and on my break someone cut that tree down, doesn't matter if I stand guard anymore, the tree is gone forever. Replanting this stuff takes hundreds of years to mature.