Social Europe

  • EU Forward Project
  • YouTube
  • Podcast
  • Books
  • Newsletter
  • Membership

Amazon no longer absorbs carbon—has the world reached the point of no return?

Isabel Schatzschneider 28th July 2021

The news that the Amazon rainforest is no longer a carbon sink puts a further big question-mark against the EU-Mercosur trade deal.

rainforest,Amazon,Brazil,Mercosur,beef
Isabel Schatzschneider

The Amazon serves as the largest rainforest on Earth and a home to one in ten known species, accounting for nearly a third of the world’s primary forest. On World Nature Conservation Day, we are faced with a gloomy reality: what used to be one of our planet’s greatest carbon sinks has become a carbon source. 

A recent study published by Nature finds that deforestation and climate change—which are deeply interconnected—have resulted in a situation in which the Amazon rainforest is now emitting more carbon dioxide than it absorbs. It’s a devastating discovery, though not surprising in light of the rampant destruction of Brazilian rainforests under Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency.

The research findings carry unsettling implications for the wellbeing of nature and wildlife globally, with the Amazon no longer offsetting some of the effects of global heating. It appears that the window of opportunity to take action is now much narrower than we thought.

Dangerous climate denier

Faith in the Amazon is hanging in the balance because of the Brazilian government’s inability to tackle deforestation in the region. Bolsonaro has been labelled the world’s most dangerous climate denier—which may not be an overstatement, considering that at the end of last year Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) reported that Amazon deforestation had hit a 12-year high. 

In addition, Bolsonaro has received criticism from human-rights organisations, for failing to protect not only the rainforest but also the people who live there. A recent poll showed that an overwhelming majority of Brazilians, 87 per cent, believe it ‘very important’ to save the Amazon.



Don't miss out on cutting-edge thinking.


Join tens of thousands of informed readers and stay ahead with our insightful content. It's free.



So what is stopping this from happening?

The deforestation there is largely driven by beef production, which is by far the biggest offender in this arena of the struggle with climate change. The dynamics of deforestation are directly linked to consumers’ growing demand for burgers and steaks.

Consumers’ greed for meat could end up being a death sentence for the world’s most important ecosystem. But this doesn’t need to be the case.

EU-Mercosur agreement

The European Union is the number-one trade and investment partner for the south-American trade bloc Mercosur, of which Brazil is a member along with Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. The EU is also Mercosur’s second biggest trade-in-goods partner after China, accounting for around 17 per cent of the bloc’s total trade in 2019.

If ratified, the EU-Mercosur free-trade agreement would strengthen relations between the two blocs, making it the EU’s largest trade deal in history with the removal of €4 billion euro of import tariffs on its products. Looking at the widespread environmental devastation in the Amazon, it appears the EU has turned a blind eye to Bolsonaro’s empty pledges to save Brazil’s remaining rainforests.

In response to this staggering lack of judgement on the EU’s part, a few months ago 420 civil-society organisations launched a ‘Stop EU-Mercosur’ coalition, calling on political leaders on both sides of the Atlantic to prevent the agreement being ratified.

Eating habits

Considering the EU imports over €500 million worth of beef from Brazil each year, European consumers ought to know where their burgers are coming from and the impacts their eating habits will have on our planet. These habits do not only pose a threat to the global environment but also their individual health.

An analysis by the University of Oxford found that eating meat regularly increases a person’s risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, pneumonia and other serious illnesses. While the correlation between the intake of red meat and bowel cancer has been known for a while, the findings are the first to link meat consumption to several of the 25 non-cancerous illnesses considered in this way.

Increased beef consumption by western consumers is however only a part of a larger problem. Ravenous demand for meat from China is also fuelling the demolition of the Amazon.

Last year saw Brazilian beef exports at record levels, largely due to rising Chinese demand. In 2020, Brazil supplied 43 per cent of China’s meat imports. While the Amazon provided around a fifth of China’s beef imports specifically, this accounts for half of the deforestation risk, according to a study on the impacts of beef exports—the market associated with the greatest amount of deforestation in total.

Tackling deforestation

But what can the world’s governments and concerned consumers do to tackle global deforestation? It may be impossible to ask them to stop buying certain commodities—but we can ensure production of them no longer drives deforestation.

A recent study by the charity CDP found that, of all forest risk commodities, palm oil is least associated with deforestation. Among palm-oil producers, compliance with the no-deforestation commitment was significantly higher than for cattle products and soy—often used as animal feed to maintain the beef industry.

A potential model for certification for such commodities can be found in Malaysia, the world’s second largest palm-oil producer. In Malaysia, the palm-oil industry has introduced a nationally mandated certification scheme, Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO), which has drastically reduced the country’s deforestation rates.

The MSPO certification became mandatory from the beginning of 2020, with the Malaysian government issuing fines and sanctions for non-compliance. The certification ensures producers fulfil a set of regulations which forbid the conversion of tropical rainforests into palm-oil plantations, among laws which protect wildlife and the rights of those working in the palm-oil sector.

These policies have shown promising results: around 90 per cent of Malaysian palm-oil producers are MSPO certified and a study by the World Resources Institute found a notable decrease in the rate of annual primary forest loss since 2016. In 2020 deforestation was at its lowest in Malaysia since 2004.

Crucial role

In light of these results, the EU’s decision to ban the use of palm oil for biofuels, while actively pursuing the Mercosur trade deal, seems bizarre. The EU has a crucial role to play in shaping global environmental policies. A boycott of certain commodities rarely yields the desired results and instead risks demand shifting to regions or countries, such as China, with less strict environmental laws.

Economic blocs such as the EU have a responsibility to shape the discourse around certifications for forest risk commodities, such as beef, soy and palm oil. This entails backing up certifications proven to work while refusing to engage with producers involved in harmful practices. Up to 22 per cent of Brazil’s annual exports to the EU, notably beef and soy, are potentially contaminated by illegal deforestation, a factor the EU should no longer ignore.

Consumers on the other hand have the power to hold their governments to account for environmental violations and can press them to act before it’s too late. With the COP26 climate summit only three months away, we don’t have any time to waste if we hope to avert the most severe climate catastrophe in history.

The world may not have yet reached a point of no return—but unless we act soon, it certainly will.

Isabel Schatzschneider 1
Isabel Schatzschneider

Isabel Schatzschneider is an environmental activist and commentator on EU environment policy. She is a research associate at the Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen-Nüremberg. Previously she was a researcher at the Schweisfurth Foundation in Munich.

Harvard University Press Advertisement

Social Europe Ad - Promoting European social policies

We need your help.

Support Social Europe for less than €5 per month and help keep our content freely accessible to everyone. Your support empowers independent publishing and drives the conversations that matter. Thank you very much!

Social Europe Membership

Click here to become a member

Most Recent Articles

u42198346ae 124dc10ce3a0 0 When Ideology Trumps Economic InterestsDani Rodrik
u4219834676e9f0d82cb8a5 2 The Competitiveness Trap: Why Only Shared Prosperity Delivers Economic Strength—and Resilience Against the Far RightMarija Bartl
u4219834676 bcba 6b2b3e733ce2 1 The End of an Era: What’s Next After Globalisation?Apostolos Thomadakis
u4219834674a bf1a 0f45ab446295 0 Germany’s Subcontracting Ban in the Meat IndustryŞerife Erol, Anneliese Kärcher, Thorsten Schulten and Manfred Walser

Most Popular Articles

u4219834647f 0894ae7ca865 3 Europe’s Businesses Face a Quiet Takeover as US Investors CapitaliseTej Gonza and Timothée Duverger
u4219834674930082ba55 0 Portugal’s Political Earthquake: Centrist Grip Crumbles, Right AscendsEmanuel Ferreira
u421983467e58be8 81f2 4326 80f2 d452cfe9031e 1 “The Universities Are the Enemy”: Why Europe Must Act NowBartosz Rydliński
u42198346761805ea24 2 Trump’s ‘Golden Era’ Fades as European Allies Face Harsh New RealityFerenc Németh and Peter Kreko

Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

WSI Report

WSI Minimum Wage Report 2025

The trend towards significant nominal minimum wage increases is continuing this year. In view of falling inflation rates, this translates into a sizeable increase in purchasing power for minimum wage earners in most European countries. The background to this is the implementation of the European Minimum Wage Directive, which has led to a reorientation of minimum wage policy in many countries and is thus boosting the dynamics of minimum wages. Most EU countries are now following the reference values for adequate minimum wages enshrined in the directive, which are 60% of the median wage or 50 % of the average wage. However, for Germany, a structural increase is still necessary to make progress towards an adequate minimum wage.

DOWNLOAD HERE

S&D Group in the European Parliament advertisement

Cohesion Policy

S&D Position Paper on Cohesion Policy post-2027: a resilient future for European territorial equity

Cohesion Policy aims to promote harmonious development and reduce economic, social and territorial disparities between the regions of the Union, and the backwardness of the least favoured regions with a particular focus on rural areas, areas affected by industrial transition and regions suffering from severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps, such as outermost regions, regions with very low population density, islands, cross-border and mountain regions.

READ THE FULL POSITION PAPER HERE

ETUI advertisement

HESA Magazine Cover

With a comprehensive set of relevant indicators, presented in 85 graphs and tables, the 2025 Benchmarking Working Europe report examines how EU policies can reconcile economic, social and environmental goals to ensure long-term competitiveness. Considered a key reference, this publication is an invaluable resource for supporting European social dialogue.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Eurofound advertisement

Ageing workforce
The evolution of working conditions in Europe

This episode of Eurofound Talks examines the evolving landscape of European working conditions, situated at the nexus of profound technological transformation.

Mary McCaughey speaks with Barbara Gerstenberger, Eurofound's Head of Unit for Working Life, who leverages insights from the 35-year history of the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS).

Listen to the episode for free. Also make sure to subscribe to Eurofound Talks so you don’t miss an episode!

LISTEN NOW

Foundation for European Progressive Studies Advertisement

Spring Issues

The Summer issue of The Progressive Post is out!


It is time to take action and to forge a path towards a Socialist renewal.


European Socialists struggle to balance their responsibilities with the need to take bold positions and actions in the face of many major crises, while far-right political parties are increasingly gaining ground. Against this background, we offer European progressive forces food for thought on projecting themselves into the future.


Among this issue’s highlights, we discuss the transformative power of European Social Democracy, examine the far right’s efforts to redesign education systems to serve its own political agenda and highlight the growing threat of anti-gender movements to LGBTIQ+ rights – among other pressing topics.

READ THE MAGAZINE

Social Europe

Our Mission

Team

Article Submission

Advertisements

Membership

Social Europe Archives

Themes Archive

Politics Archive

Economy Archive

Society Archive

Ecology Archive

Miscellaneous

RSS Feed

Legal Disclosure

Privacy Policy

Copyright

Social Europe ISSN 2628-7641