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Climate Change Doom Looms for 85% of Amazon

Death of much of the rainforest is inevitable even under most optimistic scenario

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 12, 2009 1:40 AM CDT

(Newser) – Climate change may be a bigger threat to the Amazon rainforest than all the chainsaws in the world, the Guardian reports. New research predicts a global temperature rise of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit—widely believed to be the best-case scenario even if carbon emissions are slashed—would kill off up to 40% of the forest within a century, while a 7.2-degree increase would wipe out 85% of the rainforest.

Researchers believe the change will be irreversible, and warn that the effects—likely including more severe weather and an acceleration of global warming—would be felt around the world. "The tropics are drivers of the world's weather systems, and killing the Amazon is likely to change them forever," warned a climate professor.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

Researcher Julio Tota climbs a steel tower used to monitor the weather in the dense Amazon rainforest near the northern city of Manaus, Brazil. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Climate change experts warn that a huge amount of the Amazon will die off over the next century even under the most optimistic scenarios. (Shutter Stock)

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On any kind of pragmatic timescale, I think we should see loss of the Amazon forest as irreversible. - Chris Jones, a climate expert who led the research

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 6 comments

riffran

Mar 13, 2009 5:59 AM CDT

not mentioned in the article is the enormous amount of deforestation being done to the jungle for agriculture, down there...but no it's all "global warming"...once again....cyclical climate change, folks...and yes MAN is not helping the situation.....if you can "warmies" explain the retreat of the glaciers that made those little ponds, we call the Great Lakes....if not "global warming" without man being a factor..."oh you mean it comes and goes in cycles"....*gasp*

Derni

Mar 12, 2009 6:54 AM CDT

GEEE-For eight years our mentally challenegd president and his fellow party members denied global warming-and now it is too late.

Snowleopard

Mar 12, 2009 2:10 AM CDT

I can't help but shake my head at some people are here. Do they really think all of these scientific studies from all over the world, all reaching the same conclusion is just a conspiracy? What would it really take to convince these people? How many more record floods, heatwaves, and fires have to hit us? ...or are they in the same boat as the evolution deniers?

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Climate Change Doom Looms for 85% of Amazon