A group of Brazilian scientists estimates that, by the year 2050, from 10% to 47% of the Amazon forest will be exposed to severe threats and may undergo an ecosystem transition, with loss of forest resilience and conversion to other forms of the biome, unable to fulfill the carbon sink role played by the Amazon.
This is the so-called point of no return when the forest no longer finds ways of feedback and collapses, totally or partially, converting into other forms of biological existence. This tipping point for the Amazon is one of the main focuses of attention in scientific discussions on climate change, due to the impacts on the climate, which exceed the limits of the biome, for CO2 emissions, and for the way of life inside and outside the Amazon region.
Estimates considered in other studies point to the possibility of no return with deforestation of 20% to 25% of the forest. The loss of vegetation is currently in a range of 14% to 20%, depending on the criteria used and the area analyzed.