Brazil is building a giant structure to pour CO2 over trees in the Amazon

Brazilian scientists are building a fantasy-like structure in the middle of the Amazon for a project that can shed light on the future of the forest.

Authorities are building six gigantic rings that pour C02 into the forest with technology designed by US scientists. The project is called AmazonFACE (Free Air CO2 Enrichment).

Image: Dado Galdieri/AmazonFACE

The rings are composed of 16 aluminum poles with a central tower, similar to the observation one in the photo. They are located in the northern area of the forest, in the Manaus region.

According to National Geographic, the National Institute of Amazon Research of Brazil and Campinas University will conduct the research.

Scientists from the research group explained to the Associated Press (AP) that construction of the first two rings will be ready in August, and the whole structure will be finished by mid-2024.

The objective is to study the forest's ability to sequester carbon dioxide at the high levels expected in the future, thanks to climate change.

Forests tend to capture carbon dioxide and pour oxygen back into the atmosphere, so they are one of the most important soldiers in the fight against climate change.

The Amazon is particularly important, though. It is one of the largest rainforest regions in the world: twice the size of India. Science has shown that its destruction would amplify climate change.

However, there is little certainty on how the enormous forest would respond to a carbon dioxide level rise, which is what AmazonFACE expects to understand.

To do that, the team will modify the environment of the plants to replicate future levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.

According to National Geographic, science fears that the Amazon could suffer catastrophic changes if it reaches a tipping point.

The tipping point would mean the destruction of vegetation and the loss of ecosystem services. There would be no way back.

The scientific discussion is not only about when and how the tipping point will happen but also about what will cause it first: deforestation or climate change.

Some researchers point to deforestation as the most urgent matter. However, David Lapola, one of the project scientists, told the AP that even if deforestation stops, climate change could force the tipping point.

"While stopping deforestation remains our (Brazil's) primary responsibility," he told the news agency, combating climate change "is not something that Amazonian countries can address alone."

The project can be replicated in other areas in the future, as the vegetation reaction to carbon dioxide differs according to the region of the vast forest.

That is especially interesting considering a recent study showing that the eastern Amazon has ceased functioning as a carbon sink, as Luciana Gatti, the author, explained to AP.