By Lucas Guaraldo*
The Amazon is central to the debate on the climate crisis and to avoiding tipping points on a global scale and, for this reason, it is necessary to see the region beyond the data on maps, adopting a more human vision of the forest. This was stated by Patrícia Pinho, Deputy Director of Science at IPAM (Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia), during the Global Tipping Points seminar, organized by the University of Exeter, in England.
“We need to conceptualize, within the Amazon and together with indigenous peoples and traditional communities, what social points of no return are. We need to consider the sequence of extreme climatic events occurring in the region, as well as certain sectors of the economy, as risk factors for the peoples of the forest. Deforestation is directly related to the increase in violence and land conflicts, for example,” said Pinho.
Despite their role in protecting the forest, the peoples of the Amazon are little included in discussions and public policies aimed at conserving the biome. According to a policy brief published by IPAM, only nine Brazilian municipalities have legislation on adapting to climate change. These plans still face obstacles related to a lack of political will, the absence of technical training for local governments and conflicts of interest.
“The Amazon, despite its importance for the global climate, is still little seen from a social perspective. It’s as if there were a great void observed only in terms of biodiversity. We need to show that these populations exist and that the seeds of the positive transformation of the biome, capable of slowing or reversing this collapse, lie precisely in their way of life. At the same time, these people are the most vulnerable to climate change, even without contributing to this imbalance,” he added.
The panel also included Marten Scheffer, researcher and professor at Wageningen University; Marina Hirota, professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina; Laurie Laybourn, executive director of the Strategic Climate Risks Initiative; and Gaia Vince, environmental journalist for The Guardian and the BBC, who coordinated the panel.
Road to COP 30
The event served to intensify discussions around the Global Tipping Points Report 2025. Produced by the speakers and researchers involved in the seminar, the report will gather data on the scenarios associated with the global climate crisis. The aim is to guide decision-makers, companies and governments in understanding the risks and opportunities related to tipping points. The publication is scheduled for COP 30, which will be held in Belém (PA).
“We want to show that the Amazon is going through a social turning point, as well as an environmental one. But we also want to detail the opportunities that arise when we manage to protect these territories and guarantee the allocation of forests to these groups. The Amazon is a key player in discussions about human rights and forest protection, and in this report we want to explain how the humanitarian crisis in the region is connected to the climate crisis,” explains Pinho, who is coordinating the production of the chapter on the Amazon.
The previous version of the document, published in 2023, warned of the growing risk of irreversible damage to various ecosystems on the planet. The collapse of regions such as the Amazon, West Antarctica, warm-water coral reefs and permafrost – permanently frozen ground with a high concentration of greenhouse gases – would have catastrophic and unprecedented effects, the researchers warn.
The group also draws attention to the inadequacy of current climate targets and advocates more ambitious actions, such as phasing out fossil fuels and emissions associated with changes in land use – such as deforestation and fires. Among the essential measures for mitigating and adapting to the climate crisis, the report highlights the need to protect communities most at risk, include non-return points in global targets and intensify research into the different triggers of collapse in different regions.
IPAM journalist, lucas.itaborahy@ipam.com*
Cover photo: Lucas Guaraldo/IPAM**