The Amazon’s tipping point is closer than we think
As COP30 unfolds in the heart of the Amazon, Brazil’s leading climate scientist Carlos Nobre is sounding the alarm with renewed urgency. His decades-long warning about a potential “tipping point” — a threshold beyond which the rainforest collapses into a degraded savannah — is now “much closer” than once believed.
With 18% of the Amazon already deforested, rising temperatures, intensifying droughts, and surging wildfires, Nobre warns that continued warming and land loss could push the biome past the point of no return by 2050. The consequences would be global: massive carbon release, destabilized weather systems, and heightened risks of epidemics and food insecurity.
Yet amid the stark science, Nobre remains hopeful. Recent drops in deforestation, stronger climate commitments from emerging economies, and the rise of younger climate leaders give him confidence that action is still possible — and necessary.
His message is clear: preserving the Amazon isn’t just a regional issue. It’s a safeguard for the entire planet.
Source: https://www.ft.com/content/28f1a67c-331e-4081-b2b3-5f2d325d38c7
