Spanning nine countries in South America and covering over 6.7 million square kilometers, the Amazon rainforest remains a lifeline for global climate stability. Yet new data from the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM) reveals over 2.4 million hectares were damaged by wildfires in 2022 alone—a crisis threatening biodiversity, Indigenous communities, and humanity’s fight against climate change.
IPAM’s Science Director Ane Alencar is leading the charge with AI-powered mapping tools that track fires in real time, empowering faster responses.
‘This isn’t just Brazil’s challenge—it’s a global responsibility,’Alencar tells We Talk. Her work underscores how protecting the Amazon directly impacts carbon sequestration and weather patterns worldwide.
As world leaders convene for COP15 to address biodiversity targets, the Amazon’s fate looms large. Tech innovations like Alencar’s offer hope, but experts stress that cross-border collaboration and sustainable policies are critical to safeguard Earth’s largest carbon sink.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
