Lifestyle
Australia’s rainforests are releasing more carbon than they absorb, warn scientists
Australia’s tropical rainforests have become the first in the world to release more carbon than they absorb, in a trend linked to climate change, a study has found.
Rainforests are usually regarded as so-called “carbon sinks” as they absorb more emissions than they emit with new trees offsetting the carbon released by dead ones.
But a study looking at data from Queensland forests found that extreme temperatures have caused more tree deaths than growths.
The lead author of the study, which was published in science journal Nature, said the findings have significant implications for global emissions reduction targets which are partly based on how ecosystems – such as rainforests – can absorb carbon.
“Current models may overestimate the capacity of tropical forests to help offset fossil fuel emissions,” said Dr Hannah Carle of the Western Sydney University.
With fewer new trees, the report found that the trunks and branches of dead trees – known as woody biomass – became carbon emitters, rather than carbon absorbers, about 25 years ago.
“Forests help to curb the worst effects of climate change by absorbing some of the carbon dioxide released from burning fossil fuels, but our work shows this is under threat,” said Dr Carle.
Dr Carle added that said an increase in trees dying in recent decades was due to climate change such as more extreme temperatures, atmospheric dryness and drought.
Based on 49 years of data from 20 forests in Queensland, the report also found a rise in the number of cyclones and the severity of them was killing more trees and making it harder for new ones to grow.
“We have in this study evidence that Australia’s moist tropical forests are the first of their kind globally to to exhibit this [woody biomass] change,” Dr Carle said.
“And that’s really significant. It could be a sort of canary in the coal mine.”
Senior author Patrick Meir also described the results as “very concerning”, telling news agency AFP that it was “likely that all tropical forests [would] respond fairly similarly” – but added that more data and research would be needed to make a fair assessment.
Australia, one of the world’s biggest polluters per capita, recently announced its new carbon reduction targets, pledging to cut emissions by at least 62% compared to 2005 levels over the next decade.
The country continues to face global criticism for its continued reliance on fossil fuels, with the government allowing one of the country’s largest gas projects -Woodside’s North West Shelf – to keep operating for another 40 years.
Last month, a new report into the impact of climate change found Australia had already reached warming of above 1.5C and that no community would be immune from “cascading, compounding and concurrent” climate risks.
The American Library Association’s list of the most frequently challenged books of 2025 includes Sold by Patricia McCormick, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer: A Memoir.
American Library Association
hide caption
toggle caption
American Library Association
The American Library Association has released its annual list of the most commonly challenged books at libraries across the United States.
According to the ALA, the 11 most frequently targeted books include several tied titles. They are:
1. Sold by Patricia McCormick
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
4. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
5. (tie) Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
5. (tie) Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
7. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
8. (tie) A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
8. (tie) Identical by Ellen Hopkins
8. (tie) Looking for Alaska by John Green
8. (tie) Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Many of these individual titles also appear on a 2024-25 report issued last October by PEN America, a separate group dedicated to free expression, which looked at book challenges and bans specifically within public schools.
The ALA says that it documented 4,235 unique titles being challenged in 2025 – the second-highest year on record for library challenges. (The highest ever was in 2023, with 4,240 challenges documented – only five more than in this most recent year.)
According to the ALA, 40% of the materials challenged in 2025 were representations of LGBTQ+ people and those of people of color.
In all, the ALA documented 713 attempts across the United States in 2025 to censor library materials and services; 487 of those challenges targeted books.
According to the ALA, 92% of all book challenges to libraries came from “pressure groups,” government officials and local decision makers. While 20.8% came from pressure groups such as Moms for Liberty (as the ALA cited in an email to NPR), 70.9% of challenges originated with government officials and other “decision makers,” such as local board officials or administrators.
In a more detailed breakdown, the ALA notes that 31% of challenges came from elected government officials and and 40% from board members or administrators. In its full report, the ALA states that only 2.7% of such challenges originated with parents, and 1.4% with individual library users.
Fifty-one percent of challenges were attempted at public libraries, and 37% involved school libraries. The remaining challenges of 2025 targeted school curriculums and higher education.
The ALA defines a book “ban” as the removal of materials, including books, from a library. A “challenge,” in this organization’s definition, is an attempt to have a library resource removed, or access to it restricted.
The ALA is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to American libraries and librarians.
Promo image with Phil Pritchard, Alzo Slade, and Peter Sagal
Bruce Bennett, Arnold Turner, NPR/Getty Images, NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Bruce Bennett, Arnold Turner, NPR/Getty Images, NPR
This week, Phil Pritchard, NHL’s Keeper of the Stanley Cup, joins us to about taking the cup jet-skiing and panelists Alonzo Bodden, Adam Burke, and Dulcé Sloan beef with the Pope and get misdiagnosed.
-
New York49 minutes agoHarvey Weinstein’s Third Trial on Rape Charge Opens in Manhattan
-
Detroit, MI1 hour agoMan jumps into action to save girlfriend in crash involving teen driver fleeing MSP
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoSanta Rosa: The 1906 earthquake almost lost to history
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoJohnston scores twice, Stars hold off Wild in Game 2 to even West 1st Round | NHL.com
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoBetween Providence And Boston Is A Vibrant Massachusetts Town Bursting With Diverse Entertainment – Islands
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoMinnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets Apr 20, 2026 Game Summary
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoAthletics Beat Mariners in Seattle 6-4
-
San Diego, CA2 hours agoEl Cajon crisis unit opens, bringing county’s total to eight