This publication shows that carbon prices exceeding US$ 20 per ton of CO2 captured by the natural regeneration of deforested areas in the Amazon would be truly transformative for the region’s landscape. Offsets for captured carbon would ensure forest integrity, inducing extensive forest restoration and the capture of 16 Gt …
An Argentine appeals court has upheld a move by Buenos Aires to freeze $19 billion in Chevron assets at the request of Ecuador, which blames the oil giant for environmental damage in the Amazon. Court documents showed that the ruling issued on Tuesday rejected Chevron’s position that Argentina lacked jurisdiction …
This study investigates uncertainties in impact assessments when using climate projections. The uncertainties in health-related metrics combining temperature and humidity are much smaller than if the uncertainties in the two variables were independent. The finding reveals the potential for joint assessment of projection uncertainties in other variables used in impact …
Most detailed study for forty years will also analyse climate change impact and allow ministers to examine forest 'from within' The Brazilian government is to launch a four-year tree census of the Amazon to improve understanding of the impacts of deforestation, climate change and conservation efforts. The study will also …
Phase transitions of atmospheric water play a ubiquitous role in the Earth's climate system, but their direct impact on atmospheric dynamics has escaped wide attention. Here we examine and advance a theory as to how condensation influences atmospheric pressure through the mass removal of water from the gas phase with …
After years of gains against destruction of the Amazon rainforest, Brazil appears to be suffering from an increase in deforestation as farmers, loggers, miners and builders move into previously untouched woodland, according to data compiled by the government and independent researchers. Imazon, a Brazilian research institute that tracks deforestation through …
An Amazon rainforest area twice the size of California has been hit hard by a mega-drought that began in 2005 and caused widespread damage to the canopy that blankets the dense vegetation, says a new Nasa-led study. Scientists found that during the summer of 2005, more than 700,000 sq km, …
Man-made global warming may have little effect on some common species of trees in the Amazon rainforest as they date back more than 8 million years and have survived through massive temperature fluctuations, scientists claim. Some of the Amazonian species are more than 5 million years older than previously thought, …
The study estimated, for the first time, the greenhouse gas emissions associated with cattle raising in Brazil, focusing on the period from 2003 to 2008 and the three principal sources: 1) portion of deforestation resulting in pasture establishment and subsequent burning of felled vegetation; 2) pasture burning; and 3) bovine …
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest has dropped to its lowest level in 24 years, the government said on Tuesday. Satellite imagery showed that 1,798 square miles (4,656 square kilometers) of the Amazon were deforested between August 2011 and July 2012, Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira said a news conference. That's 27 …
Brazil's environmental regulator gave the world's No. 2 mining company Vale a green light on Monday to expand the Carajas railroad, a key part of its plans to increase iron ore output in the Amazon. Approval from government agency Ibama will allow Vale to extend the Carajas railway by 786 …
About a dozen companies are contributing to a novel conservation plan that pays Ecuador to protect part of the Amazon rainforest in return for barring oil drilling, the head of the initiative said on Friday. Ivonne Baki said the scheme to conserve the Yasuni area of the Amazon basin, launched …
We present a unique proxy for the reconstruction of variation in precipitation over the Amazon: oxygen isotope ratios in annual rings in tropical cedar (Cedrela odorata). A century-long record from northern Bolivia shows that tree rings preserve the signal of oxygen isotopes in precipitation during the wet season, with weaker …
Brazil will set up a special environmental security force in an effort to stem rising deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, reports AFP. In a statement, Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira said the new body will be backed by the army, the federal police and the Brazilian Environment Institution (IBAMA). The force …
A wide range of evidences indicate climate change as one the greatest threats to biodiversity in the 21st century. The impacts of these changes, which may have already resulted in several recent species extinction, are species-specific and produce shifts in species phenology, ecological interactions, and geographical distributions. Here we used …
An update to one of the most comprehensive maps of the Amazon basin shows that forest cover across the world's largest rainforest declined by about six percent between 2000 and 2010. But the map also reveals hopeful signs that recognition of protected areas and native lands across the eight countries …
From regulating climate systems to offering food and medicines, to being home to many plants, animals, and indigenous people, rainforests are not only a local ecosystem but their benefits extend globally. Adding to its effects is new research that shows rainforests have a huge impact on rainfall. A team from …
Two of the world's last uncontacted tribes are under threat from oil exploration deep into the heart of the Amazon forest in Ecuador, according to conservationists, who say this may indirectly add to the pressure on wildlife. The Tagaeri and the Taromenane – who have fought off illegal loggers and …
Hydrological processes in the humid tropics differ from other regions in having greater energy inputs and faster rates of change. In this Review it is argued that understanding of the key hydrological interactions there remains limited, and a vision of future research designed to address these shortcomings is outlined.
The rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has plummeted by 77% in the past seven years, but annual carbon emissions associated with deforestation have not fallen nearly as much, says a Brazilian study that combines satellite data and biomass maps to model the change. The difference is in large …
Brazil's Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered work on the controversial Belo Monte dam in the Amazon to resume, overturning a lower court order that suspended the project less than two weeks ago. Construction activities by the Norte Energia, the consortium building the dam, resumed immediately, according to the Associated Press. …
