The Amazon rainforest contains about 2.8 million square miles of jungle. That’s 7.2 million square kilometers. Humans are transforming the Amazon. In fact, it has now become another climate change contributor. Normally, forests absorb huge amounts of carbon dioxide(CO2) gas. By absorbing CO2 forests keep it out of the atmosphere. This is important, because CO2 is a greenhouse gas, meaning that it traps heat in the atmosphere.
In the past 30 years, humans have contributed to greenhouse gas pollution. This pollution comes from burning fuels such as coal and oil. Finally, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere lead to warmer global temperatures over time which contributes to climate change. Now, scientists in Brazil found that the Amazon is releasing(释放)more CO2 than it is absorbing, which has never happened before. In July 2021, the scientists published their findings.
For their study, the scientists looked at nearly 600 CO2 measurements. They took them from four sites in the Brazilian Amazon between 2010 to 2018. Using these measurements the scientists found that most of the CO2 that the Amazon releases is from wildfires, many of which are started by people. They create fires to clear land for farming and other work. But when trees burn, they release CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
The worst spot is the eastern Amazon. It has become hotter, drier and more likely to have fires. That’s because the eastern Amazon has seen greater amounts of deforestation. or removal of trees. The result is more greenhouse gas emissions (排放) from fires.
Luciana Gatti, a scientist at Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, said that fires in the Amazon make around three times more CO2 than the forest can absorb. She also explained that the Amazon releases much more CO2 in places with greater amounts of deforestation (毁林). Gatti’s team also found some better news. While the eastern Amazon has become a source for releasing carbon, the western Amazon has not. It is balanced This means it has healthy forests that can absorb the same amount of CO2 that fires release.
Gatti said that if we could stop fires in the Amazon, then the forest might even become a carbon sink. This is a place that absorbs more CO2 than it releases. She said that limiting deforestation and wildfires is key to turning this dangerous trend around.
【小题1】What can we learn about the Amazon rainforest from Paragraph 1?| A．It is becoming hotter and drier. | B．It can trap heat by absorbing CO2. |
| C．It matters in regulating the climate. | D．It releases more CO2 into the atmosphere. |
| A．Natural wildfires release most of the CO2 . |
| B．Humans’ activities result in climate change. |
| C．Humans have dealt with greenhouse gas pollution. |
| D．The Amazon is absorbing more CO2 than it is releasing |
| A．Both the eastern and the western Amazon face the challenge. |
| B．The western Amazon has seen greater amounts of deforestation. |
| C．The key to approaching the present situation is to limit the wildfires. |
| D．The fires in the Amazon make about twice more CO2 than it can absorb. |
| A．An alarming phenomenon. | B．A disappearing forest. |
| C．An excellent scientist. | D．A sad prediction. |
