Fossil fuel emissions release billions of tons of carbon
into the atmosphere each year, which is changing the climate and threatening
the sustainability of life on planet Earth.
In Brazil, the demand for alternative energy sources has led to an
increase in biofuel crops. A new “News
and Views” paper in Nature Climate Change, co-authored by Woods Hole Research
Center scientists Marcia Macedo and Eric Davidson, reviews new research
conducted by Brazilian colleagues demonstrating the high carbon costs of converting
intact Brazilian savanna compared to the carbon gains obtained from converting
underutilized pastureland for biofuel crops.