Amazon rainforest could turn into savanna due to climate change

The Amazon rainforest may turn into dry grassy savannas as a result of climate change, Brazilian scientist Carlos Nobre said in an interview with Lusa agency.

"We are very close to the point of no return because in the southern Amazon the dry season has become much longer. It used to last three to four months. Today it is four to five months," he said.

According to the scientist, the rainforest "has already become a source of emissions" as the main "lungs of the planet" in the Brazilian states of Pará and Mato Grosso released more carbon dioxide than they absorbed.