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Burning reduce rainforest carbon sequestration

A burning forest in Rwanda
Research estimates that rainforests account for more than half of all carbon captured by plants on our planet. However, photosynthesis is disrupted when levels of ground-level ozone become too high. Photo by Johan Wingborg

Exhaust fumes and burning reduce the ability of rainforests to capture carbon by 0.29 billion tonnes each year. A new study by researchers from the University of Gothenburg, with professor Johan Uddling as a member of BECC, shows how ozone at the ground-level formed by human combustion harms plant photosynthesis.

Rainforests are the most effective counterforce to the greenhouse effect. Tropical forests absorb 10-15 percent of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by humans. Unfortunately, the emission of nitrogenous compounds and volatile hydrocarbons from burning creates large amounts of ground-level ozone, which is toxic to living organisms, both humans and trees.

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The article is published in full on University of Gothenburg's website:

Burning reduce rainforest carbon sequestration | University of Gothenburg