New satellite analysis shows that the world's tropical forests provide a critical buffer against climate change, which is faster than recorded last year.

Researchers estimate that 67,000 square kilometers (26,000 square meters) of these pristine, old-growing forests were lost in 2024, the area is almost as big as the Republic of Ireland, or 18 football fields per minute.

The fire was the main cause, surpassing agricultural land removal for the first time, and Amazon performed particularly poorly in a record drought.

However, there is more positive news in Southeast Asia, and government policies help reduce forest losses.

Rainforests store hundreds of millions of tons of carbon in soil and woody trunks. However, this new global record raises further questions about their resilience on a warming planet.

Many researchers are concerned that certain forests, such as part of the Amazon, may be approaching a "turning point" beyond which they may fall into an irreversible decline.

"I think temporary ideas are increasingly appropriate," said Professor Matthew Hansen, co-director of Mary Laver Labs, who produces data.

Professor Hansen described the new result as “fearing” and warned of the possible “sparagus” of the rainforest, where the old growing tropical forest died and switched permanently to Savanna.

“It’s still a theory, but I think it’s becoming more and more reasonable from the data.”

Another study published last week, a separate study, also produced a similar warning about the massive Amazon deaths if global warming exceeds the 1.5C international target.

This will not only threaten the vibrant wildlife living in these biodiversity habitats, but will also have serious implications for the global climate.

Until recently, Amazon has been fueling humans, absorbing more planetary carbon dioxide (CO2) than it releases.

However, the burning of these forests emits a lot of carbon dioxide – increasing warming rather than limiting it.

In 2023-24, Amazon experienced its worst drought, driven by climate change and natural warming El Niño weather patterns.

Many fires were deliberately opened to clear the land for agriculture, so it was difficult to unravel both.

But the drought provided the ideal conditions for fires, which left Brazil and Bolivia the worst affected.

Although only one year, it fits in the expected pattern of more intense tropical fires in a warmer world.

"I think we're in a new stage, not just the liquidation of agriculture, it's the main driver," said Rod Taylor of the World Resources Institute (WRI).

“Now, we have this new amplification effect, which is a real climate change feedback cycle, with fires becoming more intense and fiercer than ever before.”

Overall, the losses of the world's old growing (primary) tropical forests released 3.1 billion tons of planetary warm gas, researchers estimate.

This is roughly the same as the EU's emissions.

However, Southeast Asian countries shocked global trends.

Despite the drought, Indonesia's primary forest loss area fell by 11%.

Elizabeth Goldman, co-director of WRI Global Forest Watch Program, said it was the result of a concerted effort by the government and the community to implement the “burn-free” law.

"Indonesia is a highlight in the 2024 data," she said.

"Political will is a key factor in success - otherwise it is impossible," said Gabriel Labbate, head of climate change measures at UN Forest Program, which is not involved in today's report.

Other countries, including Brazil, have had success in past approaches, but with changes in government policies, 2014 began to see another increase in losses.

Professor Hansen said that while Southeast Asia is positive, fluctuations in Brazil’s forest losses suggest that conservation policies must be consistent.

"The key we haven't seen yet is to continue to succeed when reducing and keeping the conversion levels of these ecosystems low, if you're interested in protecting the environment you must win forever," he told BBC News.

Researchers agree that this year's UN Climate Summit COP30 (who is taking place in Amazon) is crucial to sharing and promoting forest conservation programs.

One suggestion is to reward countries that maintain tropical forests through payments. Rod Taylor said the details remain pending, but hopeful.

"I think this is an example of innovation, which solves one of the fundamental problems, and at present, deforestation is more money to make than keeping them on their stance," he said.

Erwan Rivault's Graphics