2024-04-09 11:00:04
A recent MIT study finds that global deforestation is responsible for about 10 percent of human-caused mercury emissions into the atmosphere each year. This finding highlights the importance of forests, such as the Amazon rainforest, as mercury sinks, capturing this toxic substance from the air.
Mercury is a toxic pollutant whose management represents a global challenge, in part because of its accumulation in food chains, leading to dangerous levels of methylmercury in the Pisces that we consume. Deforestation plays a significant role in this problem, releasing around 200 tonnes of mercury into theatmosphere annually. This quantity represents 10% of the total mercury emissions due to human activities.
Forests, by absorbing mercury from the air through the leaves of trees, make an essential contribution to reducing the presence of this heavy metal in our environment. The crucial role ofAmazonresponsible for approximately 30% of theabsorption of mercury by land, is particularly highlighted. Reforestation efforts could increase mercury absorption by 5% annually, but this cannot replace control measures. control from pollution worldwide.
The research, led by Ari Feinberg and Noelle Selin of MIT, with collaboration from Martin Jiskra, Pasquale Borrelli and Jagannath Biswakarma, uses a model of transport chemical to track mercury from its source of emission to its final deposition, often through precipitation or uptake by forests. This model made it possible to quantify for the first time the impact of deforestation on mercury emissions.
In tropical and subtropical countries, the share of emissions due to deforestation is even more marked. For example, in Brazil, these emissions represent 40% of total human-caused emissions. Using fire to prepare forest land for agriculture releases even more mercury, previously stored by vegetation.
This study highlights the need to take deforestation into account in mercury management policies, an aspect so far neglected by international agreements such as the 2013 Minamata Convention. It calls for a better understanding of ecological systems involving human activities to effectively resolve the environmental problems encountered.
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