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Deforestation and climate change are altering the Amazon rainforest's ability to soak up carbon, according to a new study. Significant parts of the world's largest tropical forest have started to emit more CO2 than they absorb.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Environment correspondent Matt McGrath explains the main findings of the study, which says that the western part of the forest is still soaking up more than its releasing, but in the eastern and south-eastern regions (which are up to 30 percent deforested), ten times more carbon is being emitted than in the west, and more carbon is being produced than absorbed.

Photo: A fire burns the Amazon forest, cleared by a farmer in Rondonia state, Brazil Credit: Reuters