New modeling in Communications Earth & Environment quantifies a hidden cost of Amazon fires: ground-level ozone created from fire emissions damages vegetation and adds to carbon losses. The authors estimate this indirect ozone damage accounts for about one quarter of direct fire emissions over 1997 to 2024, a pathway most carbon budgets miss. The study uses a land surface model to compare fire-derived ozone damage across drought years. Even when drought closes stomata and limits ozone uptake, extreme fire years like 2024 still produced significant ozone damage. The findings add to evidence that cutting deforestation and fire is climate policy, not just conservation.
