Researchers calculated that the loss of tropical primary forest in 2021 resulted in the release of 2.5 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, equivalent to the annual fossil fuel emissions of India
An aerial view of a deforested area of the Amazonia rainforest in Porto Velho, Rondonia state, Brazil, on September 15, 2021. The Amazon basin has, until recently, absorbed large amounts of humankind's ballooning carbon emissions, helping stave off the nightmare of unchecked climate change. Image: Mauro Pimentel/AFP