Carbon experiment in Brazil’s Amazon forest

Belem climate summit will witness a curious scientific experiment which will showcase the impact of climate caused by increasing presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Scientists are demonstrating in the Amazon forest area of Brazil, in the largest city, Manaus, in the region. Belem is the place where CoP30, the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCC) summit will be held from November 10 to 21, and it is also the place where the Amazon River flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

In Manaus, scientists have created six towers of steel, each one of them surrounding 50 to 70 trees. In each of these plots of trees, the scientists will increase the levels of carbon dioxide as estimated by different climate change models, to show what the effect would be in each case.

The tropical forest, of which the Amazon forest is the prime example, is known for its ability to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. What is being tested in the experiment is how much carbon dioxide can the tropical forest absorb, and release oxygen into the air. The experiment of raising carbon levels in particular spots has been going in different parts of the world, including in the United States. But this is the first time that a controlled carbon experiment is being conducted in a tropical forest.

The carbon experiment is being conducted by the National Institute of Amazon Research (INPA) along with the Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Carlos Quesada of INPA says, “We’re trying to create the atmosphere of the future.” The experiment called Free-Air CO2 Enrichment or FACE is supported by the Brazilian government and the United Kingdom. According to forest engineer Gustavo Carvalho, “This is the first experiment in a natural forest of this size in the tropics.” Carvalho explained, “If a model predicts a certain amount (of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere) in 2050 or 2060, then we’ll increase to that amount in these plots to try to understand how the forest responds.”

Three of the plots are subjected to increase in the levels of carbon dioxide and the other three are left in their present state. The impact on the plots with increased carbon dioxide levels will be compared to that of the existing state in the other three plots. This would illustrate the changes that will take place if the carbon dioxide levels increase.

The experiment will only help in describing the impact of increased levels of carbon dioxide, but it cannot be guaranteed that the world leaders with their delegations who will be at the Belem summit would draw the lessons from the FACE exercise. It is more than evident that the increase in temperatures beyond the 1.5 Degrees Celsius to 2 Degrees Celsius will be tipping point for catastrophic changes which will affect billions of people, and it would be disastrous even for the developed and prosperous economies.

The United Nations and the economists have been arguing that the climate change beyond the tipping point will great destruction and distress to the poor people. It does not mean that people in the rich and developed economies can escape the climate apocalypse. The major challenge is that of climate finance, and the rich industrialised countries are not willing to pump in the$1.3 trillion required every year to curb carbon emissions with appropriate technological innovations and implementation of the green policies.

The divide over who will spend the money is not likely to be erased at the Belem climate summit. It is also clear that there is not much time left to reach an agreement over the issue. That is the burden of the Belem climate summit.