Post by : Mariam
Al-Faris
A new scientific study has found a worrying change in Africa’s forests. For many years, forests helped fight climate change because trees absorbed carbon dioxide from the air. But now, Africa’s forests are releasing more carbon than they take in. This means they are no longer helping stop global warming — instead, they are making it worse. Scientists say this should be a strong warning for world leaders.
The study, published in Scientific Reports, shows that this change started around 2010. The main reason is rapid deforestation and forest damage. Trees are being cut down faster than new ones can grow. Also, forest degradation — where forests are harmed but not completely destroyed — is adding to the problem. As trees disappear, the carbon stored inside them is released back into the atmosphere.
Researchers from the National Centre for Earth Observation in the UK used advanced satellite technology and machine learning. They used data from NASA and Japan’s ALOS radar satellites, along with thousands of on-ground measurements. This helped them create the most detailed map ever made of Africa’s forest biomass. The data showed that between 2010 and 2017, Africa lost about 106 billion kilograms of forest biomass every year, equal to the weight of 106 million cars.
The largest losses were found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, and some West African regions. These areas have tropical moist forests, which store large amounts of carbon. Even though some savanna regions showed small gains because shrubs were growing, it was nowhere near enough to balance the huge losses in major forest areas.
Scientists say this finding is a major warning for the global community. Professor Heiko Balzter, one of the study’s authors, said that if African forests stop absorbing carbon, other parts of the world will need to reduce emissions even more to meet the Paris Agreement goals. Another researcher, Dr. Pedro Rodríguez-Veiga, stressed that governments, private groups, and NGOs must work together to protect forests, stop illegal logging, and restore damaged areas.
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