Pressures on Amazon rainforest could lead to large-scale collapse, study warns

The Amazon Rainforest canopy in Tambopata, Peru.

Swathes of the Amazon face pressures that could lead to a “tipping point” by 2050, prompting large-scale collapse of the key forest systems, scientists have warned.

A study published in the journal Nature found that by mid-century 10%-47% of Amazonian forests will be threatened by a combination of impacts including global warming, changing rainfall, longer dry seasons, deforestation and fires.