Postponed: Land and Climate Seminar - Deforestation threatens regional climate and impacts Brazilian agriculture

Speaker: Argemiro Teixeira

The Amazon is the largest tropical rainforest in the world, while the Cerrado is the most biodiverse savanna globally. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon and Cerrado has profoundly affected the climate. Areas with higher levels of deforestation show a clear connection between forest loss and various climate-related consequences, including delays in the agricultural rainy season, decreased rainfall, and rising temperatures. In the Amazon, for example, projected impacts on agriculture from future deforestation-induced changes in climate are of the same magnitude as those from global climate change under the RCP 8.5 scenario15. Understanding the impacts of deforestation on ecosystem services, particularly rainfall regulation for agriculture, is crucial to persuading policymakers and stakeholders to take action before it is too late. Recognizing these risks could guide Brazil towards a path that harmonizes agricultural production with environmental conservation.