The Amazon Is Drying — And It Could Flip the Planet’s Carbon Balance

For decades, the Amazon rainforest has acted as one of Earth’s most powerful carbon sinks, absorbing vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But rising heat and intensifying droughts are pushing the forest into unfamiliar territory, weakening trees and disrupting its self-sustaining water cycle. If this trend continues, the Amazon could shift from absorbing carbon to releasing it — altering the planet’s carbon balance in ways that accelerate global warming.