A major new study shows that Earth's natural systems for absorbing carbon are getting much worse. At the same time, experts say the world will keep using large amounts of oil and gas for many more years. These two problems together make it very difficult to reach international climate goals.
The important forest study was done by scientists from British universities. They looked at satellite data from 2007 to 2017. They found that since about 2010, Africa's huge tropical forests have released more carbon than they take in. Before, they were a vital "carbon sink." This change is because of human activities like cutting trees for farming and mining, and also because of climate change damaging the forests. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar are some of the worst-hit areas.
This means all three of the world's big tropical forest areas—the Amazon, Southeast Asia, and Africa—are now adding to the carbon in the air, not reducing it. The scientists say the world needs to act much faster to protect these forests with more money and support.
At the same time, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says global demand for oil and gas could keep growing until 2050. More energy is needed for things like transport, factories, and new technology like artificial intelligence. Because of this, big oil companies say they need to keep investing in new oil and gas projects.
In short, Earth's natural cleaning systems are failing just as our move away from fossil fuels is slowing down. This double problem makes the goal of a stable climate much harder to reach. The world must now protect nature better and change the energy system faster.