Taalas explained that the “evaporation that normally occurs in a tropical forest softens these temperatures.” With the felling of trees, the impact changes.
Asked if this deforestation and drought could affect temperatures in Brazil, he was adamant: “Of course.”
“We have examples from history. The Mediterranean coast region was forested. See the flag of Lebanon, which even has a tree. Today, it is the region that suffers the most from a rise in temperatures, after the Arctic. If it had a forest, This could reduce impact”, he said.
According to the Brazilian government, the deforestation rate in the Amazon fell by 22% in one year. But, for Taalas, the impact of what was recorded during Jair Bolsonaro’s years may take years to recover.
In the entity’s assessment, the situation in the Amazon is worrying, especially given the first signs that the region is moving from being a place for capturing gases to being an emitter. “It’s an inflection point that we’re concerned about,” he said.
Before the conversation with UOL, the agency said at a press conference at the UN that deforestation in Latin America is already the “dominant source” of emissions. “The region has experienced an increase in emissions due to deforestation,” he said.
