The Amazon rainforest has lost an area the size of Germany and France combined to deforestation over the past four decades, leading to devastating wildfires and drought across South America, experts warned on Monday. This rapid destruction is contributing to worsening climate conditions, as the rainforest, which spans nine countries, is essential in absorbing carbon dioxide—a major driver of global warming.
Researchers have highlighted that this year’s wildfires in the Amazon have broken records, releasing vast amounts of carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere, compounding climate change. According to RAISG, a network of scientists and NGOs, deforestation has led to the loss of 12.5% of the Amazon’s plant cover between 1985 and 2023—equivalent to 88 million hectares (339,773 square miles).
The deforestation, driven primarily by mining and agricultural expansion, has transformed lush forests into sprawling pastures, monoculture fields, and gold mining pits. The consequences are severe, with experts linking forest loss to rising temperatures and severe drought in the region.
“With the loss of the forest, we emit more carbon into the atmosphere and this disrupts an entire ecosystem that regulates the climate and the hydrological cycle, clearly affecting temperatures,” said Sandra Rio Caceres from the Institute of the Common Good, one of the contributors to the study.
The fires in the Amazon and Pantanal wetlands have now reached their highest levels in two decades, according to the Copernicus atmosphere monitoring service, and scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the situation.
The dry conditions have driven some Amazon rivers to their lowest levels in decades, endangering the lives of 47 million people who depend on the water.
In response, Amnesty International has called on South American governments to take immediate action to address the climate crisis. In a statement, the NGO urged leaders to halt deforestation, transition away from fossil fuels, and protect the lands of Indigenous peoples. Despite efforts by countries like Brazil, where deforestation has slowed, others, including Argentina, have seen environmental protections weakened under budget cuts.