Amazon rainforest emissions surge due to gold mining operations

Gold mining operations in the Amazon are unleashing large quantities of carbon stored in forest soils and vegetation, effectively turning parts of the rainforest into net carbon emitters. Investigations and scientific studies indicate that deforestation, soil disturbance, and erosion associated with mining activities are accelerating the release of previously sequestered carbon into the atmosphere.

In areas heavily impacted by gold extraction, the scale of emissions is becoming comparable to or exceeding the carbon sequestration capacity of undisturbed tropical forests. According to case studies,  mining-induced degradation has led to oxidation of soil organic carbon and destabilization of carbon in sediments deposited in the floodplain.

The process is driven by the removal of vegetation cover, excavation of soil, sediment mobilization in rivers, and exposure of deep soils to oxygen. Once exposed, microbial processes accelerate decomposition of organic matter, releasing CO₂. These emissions are compounded by secondary effects such as erosion, river turbidity, and altered hydrology. All consequences of the mining footprint.

Carbon losses are not uniformly distributed. Some mining zones located in peat-rich areas or floodplain soils may unleash especially large carbon stock releases, because those environments typically store more organic material per hectare. In such areas, even modest surface disturbance can disproportionately impact greenhouse gas budgets.

This phenomenon counters many climate mitigation assumptions that the Amazon acts as a persistent carbon sink. The increasing conversion of forests for mining weakens the forest’s ability to absorb emissions from other sectors, creating a feedback loop that amplifies climate change risks.