Africa's Rainforests Shift from Carbon Sinks to Carbon Sources

A new study published in the scientific journal Nature reveals that Africa's forests, previously recognized as critical carbon sinks, have begun to shift to carbon sources due to human activity. Researchers from the National Centre for Earth Observation at the Universities of Leicester, Sheffield, and Edinburgh found that between 2010 and 2017, Africa's forests and woody savannas, responsible for one-fifth of global carbon removal, lost 106 million tonnes in biomass each year.

The most severely impacted regions include the tropical broadleaf forests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, and parts of West Africa. The study indicates that increased logging for agricultural land and infrastructure, as well as rising carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels, have drastically reduced the forests' capacity to absorb carbon.

The report warns that this alarming trend could widen the global greenhouse gas emissions gap necessary to meet the Paris Agreement goals. Experts emphasize that reversing these trends requires improved local governance, sustainable resource use, and a significant reduction in reliance on fossil fuels.

Heiko Balzter, a professor at the University of Leicester, stated that losing tropical forests as a means of mitigating climate change necessitates even faster reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The authors of the report advocate for urgent conservation efforts to protect Africa's carbon sinks to combat climate change effectively.