Amazon trees defy climate change, growing larger from increased CO2, study finds

Climate change has affected all living organisms, and plants are certainly not immune to it.

The trees all over the Amazon rainforest are reacting to climate change by becoming fatter, a major new study has found.

The study, published in the journal Nature Plants, determines that the circumference of tree trunks has increased by an average of 3.3% per decade since the 1970s.

This growth, as attributed by a study involving nearly 100 scientists, is a result of the fertilizing effect of increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) levels.

The high concentration of CO2 in the air offers more resources for photosynthesis, implying that the forest is more adaptable to changing environments than it was initially feared.

The co-author, Professor Tim Baker of the University of Leeds, said: “We knew that the total amount of carbon stored in the trees of intact Amazonian forests has increased. What this new study shows is that all sizes of trees have grown larger over the same period — the whole forest has changed.”

This increase is especially seen in the largest trees as they control the canopy.

They comprise only 1% of the trees but carry approximately 50% of the carbon storage in the forest.

The results validate that untouched, healthy portions of the Amazon remain an essential carbon sink which will assist in reducing climate change by absorbing CO2 in the atmosphere.

However, there was a swift warning among scientists, who declared the results as qualified good news.

Resilience has been noted as being limited to undisturbed forests, which are increasingly threatened by deforestation, fire, and agricultural land clearance.

“It is good news but it is qualified good news,” said Prof Oliver Phillips from the University of Leeds. “Our results apply only to intact, mature forests, which is where we are watching closely. They suggest the Amazon forest is remarkably resilient to climate change. My fear is that may count for little, unless we can stop the deforestation itself.”

The fragmented forests on the borders of farmland are already changing to be carbon sources rather than carbon sinks.

The article puts special emphasis on the necessity of Amazon protection. Although its trees are proving to be incredibly adaptable, this natural defense mechanism is relatively weak and cannot offset continued emissions and devastation.