Record-breaking CO₂ rise shows the Amazon is faltering — yet the satellite that spotted this may soon be shut down

By Paul Palmer, Professor of Quantitative Earth Observation, University of Edinburgh
Liang Feng, Research Associate, Data Assimilation, University of Edinburgh

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) rose faster in 2024 than in any year since records began – far faster than scientists expected.

Our new satellite analysis shows that the Amazon rainforest, which has long been a huge absorber of carbon, is struggling to keep up. And worryingly, the satellite that made this discovery could soon be switched off.

Systematic measurements of CO₂ in the atmosphere began in the late 1950s, when the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii (chosen for its remoteness and…

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