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Carbon Sink to Carbon Source? How the Amazon Rainforest Could Become a Self-Drying Savanna | Carlos Nobre | TGS 150

Nov 13, 2024

Carlos Nobre, an Earth scientist from Brazil and senior researcher at the University of São Paulo, delves into the alarming changes facing the Amazon Rainforest. He discusses the urgent threats from deforestation and climate change, warning of a potential tipping point by 2050. The conversation highlights the biodiversity's crucial role in ecosystem resilience and the interconnections between human activity and environmental stability. Nobre also emphasizes the need for global actions to support conservation and innovative efforts within indigenous communities for a sustainable future.

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ANECDOTE

Career Origins

Carlos Nobre's work began with an engineering job in the Amazon, where he fell in love with the rainforest.
His director encouraged him to pursue a PhD, leading him to dedicate his research to the Amazon and its impact.

INSIGHT

Andes Influence

The Amazon rainforest's current climate stabilized after the Andes Mountains uplifted.
This led to increased rainfall and the forest's expansion, creating a unique water recycling system.

INSIGHT

Dry Season Transpiration

Uniquely, the Amazon transpires more water in the dry season than the wet season.
Deep roots and water-absorbing soil allow trees to access stored water, influencing the transition to the wet season.

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(Conversation recorded on September 25th, 2024)

The Amazon Rainforest is one of the Earth's most vital systems, playing a key role in maintaining the balance and stability of our climate. Yet this extraordinary ecosystem, which influences global rainfall patterns and regulates temperatures, is increasingly threatened by human activity. What is the current status of the ancient Amazon Rainforest, and how could its trajectory shape the entire planet for thousands of years to come?

In today’s episode, Nate speaks with Earth scientist Carlos Nobre to explore the critical challenges facing the Amazon. They delve into the rainforest’s unique ecological dynamics, the devastating impact of deforestation and wildfires on its ability to function, and how the health of the Amazon directly influences the climate of the entire world.

In what ways does the astounding biodiversity of the Amazon play critical roles in its resilience, and how is that biodiversity being put at risk? How could a system that has sustained its own water cycles for millions of years suddenly tip into a self-drying savanna? Finally, what actions should countries – beyond the Amazonia region itself – take to support the conservation and restoration of the world’s largest rainforest and the people that call it home?

About Carlos Nobre:

Carlos A. Nobre is an Earth Scientist from Brazil, currently associated with the University of

São Paulo. He is also the co-chair of the Science Panel for the Amazon-SPA. He obtained his PhD in Meteorology at MIT. Nobre's work mostly focuses on the Amazon and its impact on the Earth System. He chaired the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA). He is a foreign member of the US National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society, and member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and the World Academy of Sciences. He was awarded several prizes including the Volvo Environmental Prize, the AAAS Science Diplomacy Award and AAAS Fellow Award. He also developed the Amazonia 4.0 initiative, an innovative project to demonstrate the feasibility of a new socio-bioeconomy of standing forests and flowing rivers in the Amazon.

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