National Institute for Space Research INPE
Luiz Aragão holds a PhD in Remote Sensing from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), with a postdoctoral degree at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. He serves as a Senior Lecturer at the University. He is currently a senior scientist at the Earth Observation and Geoinformatics Division at INPE. He is a Permanent Member of the São Paulo Academy of Science and the Coordinator of the Global Climate Change Program at the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). He is Coordinator of the Brazilian Symposium on Remote Sensing (SBSR). He works in the area of environmental monitoring by satellite, focusing on understanding the impact of environmental and climate change on tropical forests and on possible solutions to the problem. He has more than 250 published scientific articles, including first authorship in renowned journals such as Science and Nature.
Plenary 2, Thursday 3 July. 9.40-12.00. – The carbon cycle and future climate pathways
Amazonia and the climate crisis
Forests are a key sector towards reducing net carbon emissions in the tropics. More than 50% of Brazil’s CO2 emissions can be reduced by curbing illegal deforestation and forest degradation. The impact of climate on the reduction of carbon stocks in Amazonia, exacerbated by extensive human interventions, which increase carbon emissions from land cover change, however, are critical processes that must be better quantified to support mitigation and adaptation actions. Elucidating carbon emissions, removals and alteration of other processes in these degraded forests is key for re-establishing the provision of ecosystem services in Amazonia.