Amazon fires raise CO2 threat
July 20, 2004
Burning of the Amazon rainforest has made Brazil one of the world's top 10 polluters, raising pressure on the government to curb destruction of the jungles, scientists say.
"Through the burning of millions of hectares of the Amazon every year, Brazil is emitting ridiculously high levels of CO2," said Professor Carlos Alberto Gurgel of the University of Brasilia.
The findings were reported by a team of scientists from Brazilian and US universities who studied illegal clearances through burning of the world's largest jungle - often described as the "lungs of the Earth".
According to the study, deforestation is pumping 200 million metric tonnes of gas into the atmosphere every year.
That, in addition to the CO2 emitted by the burning of fossil fuels, brings annual Brazilian greenhouse gas emissions to some 550 million tonnes.
This places Brazil among the top 10 contributors to global warming on the planet, alongside the major polluters such as the United States, China and Russia.
An area of 5.9 million acres (2.38 million hectares) was destroyed as loggers and farmers "slashed and burnt" the forest in 2003.
Destruction of the Amazon jungle, home to up to 30% of the world's animal and plant species, reached its second-highest level last year.
The BBC website has further information.
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