SAO PAULO, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) — The Brazilian Government has completed the installation of the “ AmazonFACE ” project, the world's most important scientific station in tropical forests, aimed at studying the way in which the Amazon reacts to the increase of carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) in the atmosphere, as well as the effects of climate change, Brazilian press reported Sunday.
The initiative is part of the agenda of environmental commitments of the South American country ahead of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) of the United Nations on Climate Change, which will take place from November 10 to 21 in the Brazilian city of Belém , in the Amazonian state of Pará (northern), according to what was published by the newspaper “Folha de Sao Paulo”.
The Climate Science coordinator of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) of Brazil, Márcio Rojas, explained that “AmazonFACE” represents a strategic initiative of the State to expand knowledge about the role of the Amazon in regulating the global climate.
“The information that will be generated here will be absolutely relevant not only for Brazil, but for the planet. It is probably the most important project in current climate science,” said the official.
The project, considered the largest open-air experiment on climate change in tropical regions, was developed by the MCTI and the government's National Amazon Research Institute (INPA, Portuguese acronym), in cooperation with the Government of the United Kingdom and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
With an investment of 260 million reais (about 45 million dollars), the initiative seeks to understand the way in which Amazonian ecosystems will respond to increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Located about 80 kilometers from Manaus , capital of the state of Amazonas (north), “AmazonFACE” is made up of 96 30-meter-high metal towers arranged in six rings within an area of primary jungle.
Each structure will release CO2 to increase the gas concentration by 200 parts per million and will simulate the conditions expected for the coming decades, which will allow the response of trees and forest dynamics to be observed.
The objective is to understand if the Amazon rainforest can continue as a CO2 absorbing source or if it will become an emitter.
More than 100 researchers and technicians, both Brazilian and foreign, will participate in the research work, the results of which will be incorporated into the climate prediction models of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
“AmazonFACE” will allow us to verify one of the greatest uncertainties of the future climate: the way in which the Amazon will react to the increase in atmospheric CO2.
The Brazilian Government considers the project as a strategic investment by the State and a demonstration of its leadership at COP30 regarding whether or not the so-called “point of no return” can be avoided, through the conservation and sustainable management of forests, that is, the forest stops absorbing CO2 and becomes an emitter. End