What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
About a third of the remaining Amazon rainforest has been severely degraded by human activity, and the emissions from this activity are equivalent to or even greater than emissions caused by deforestation, according to a new study.
The Amazon rainforest, at roughly 6.7 million square kilometres, is the largest forest in the world, and has long been important as a carbon sink and a biodiversity hotspot.
Although alarm bells have been ringing about the increasing reach of deforestation in the Amazon for years—around 17 per cent of the forest has disappeared over the last 50 years—human activity has been simultaneously damaging the Amazon in other ways, researchers say.
An international team of scientists found that 38 per cent of the Amazon, an area 10 times greater than the size of the U.K., has been degraded by human activity or events caused by human activity, such as forest fires and selective logging.
"Even in an optimistic scenario, when there is no more deforestation, the effects of climate change will see degradation of the forest continue, leading to further carbon emissions," Dr. David Lapola, leader of the study and researcher at the Centre for Meteorological and Climatic Research Applied to Agriculture at Unicamp, said in a press release.
The study, published this week in the peer-reviewed journal Science, is the result of an analysis of existing data, including satellite imagery showing the changes of the Amazon, and catalogues the changes in the Amazon region between 2001 and 2018.
Researchers project that by 2050, the degradation of the Amazon will be one of the major sources of carbon emissions into the atmosphere, regardless of whether or not the Amazon continues to suffer massive deforestation or not.
Deforestation is relatively straightforward—it refers to when trees are totally cleared and a new use for the land is established, such as for agriculture. Since trees store carbon, deforestation also releases a large amount of carbon emissions.
But while this phenomenon has been studied significantly, degradation is an equal threat, this new study claims, and one we need to be paying attention to.
Researchers define degradation as transient or long-term changes in an area of the forest caused by humans. This may include situations where an area loses many or even all of its trees, but the land is not repurposed for another use outside of being part of the forest.
"Despite uncertainty about the total effect of these disturbances, it is clear that their cumulative effect can be as important as deforestation for carbon emissions and biodiversity loss," Jos Barlow, professor of conservation science at Lancaster University and co-author of the paper, said in the release.
Researchers looked at the impacts of forest fires, selective logging, extreme drought and edge effects, which are changes in forests adjacent to areas that have been cleared through deforestation.
They found that between 2001 and 2018, the total area of the Amazon rainforest that was under degradation was greater than the amount lost to deforestation in that time period.
And this has huge impacts on carbon emissions.
In this new study, researchers found that carbon emissions from areas of the Amazon degraded by human activity during the study period totalled 0.2 petagrams of carbon per year. A petagram is a billion metric tons, or a unit of mass equal to a quadrillion grams, and 0.2 petagrams is roughly two hundred billion kilograms.
In the same time period, the carbon emissions from deforestation were roughly 0.06-0.21 petagrams.
Forests are the biggest form of carbon capture that exist on the planet. A report published earlier this month found that almost all of the carbon dioxide being removed from the atmosphere and stored is removed by forests, underlining the huge importance of forests in maintaining our global climate.
But scientists are worried that the Amazon is in danger of producing more carbon than it is removing from the environment, due to deforestation and degradation.
Some of the causes of degradation are directly connected to global climate change, the study stated, such as extreme drought, a type of extreme weather that has become more common as Earth warms. While tackling deforestation will aid with combatting edge effects, there need to be greater changes made globally to reduce impacts such as extreme drought and forest fires.
As the study only looks at data up to 2018, it doesn’t address whether the degradation has gotten worse as deforestation has. In 2022, deforestation in the Amazon rainforest hit a record high for the first six months, according to Reuters, with experts connecting the increase to former Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro, who stripped environmental regulations and protections during his time in office between 2019 and 2022.
Researchers also noted that degradation of the Amazon not only hurts our environment, but disproportionately affects Indigenous communities and others that rely on the forest.
"Degradation benefits the few, but places important burdens on many," Rachel Carmenta, a co-author based at the University of East Anglia, said in the release. "Few people profit from the degradation processes, yet many lose out across all dimensions of human well-being—including health, nutrition and the place attachments held for the forest landscapes where they live. Furthermore, many of these burdens are hidden at present; recognising them will help enable better governance with social justice at the centre.”
The study states that there should be a monitoring system for forest degradation and that illegal logging and use of fire should be curbed in order to cut down on these issues. And although tackling deforestation is important, the need to tackle degradation specifically is important to keep in mind, researchers say.
"Public and private actions and policies to curb deforestation will not necessarily address degradation as well," Dr. Lapola said in the release. "It is necessary to invest in innovative strategies."
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
American troops will be spending more time training in the Far North, the new commander of Norad says, a strategy that fits 'hand-in-glove' with Canada's renewed focus on Arctic defence.
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.