Australia’s tropical rainforests – once key carbon sinks – are releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than they absorb, scientists say, marking the first such recorded shift anywhere in the world.
A new study published in Nature notes that the trunks and branches of trees in the country’s wet tropics, known as woody biomass, are a net source of carbon dioxide now due to rising temperatures, atmospheric dryness and more frequent droughts linked to climate crisis.
