Amazon rainforest

When the United Nations COP30 climate change conference convenes in Belém, Brazil, the world's attention will turn to the heart of the Amazon rainforest – a region that symbolises both hope and concern in the fight against climate change.

The choice of Belém as host city is particularly significant. Once considered one of Earth's most vital carbon sinks, the Amazon is now showing troubling signs: satellite observations reveal that parts of this vast ecosystem are no longer absorbing carbon dioxide as they once did. In some areas, the forest has even become a net source of carbon emissions.