The Amazon used to be a hedge against climate change

[Those days may be over.]( Oct. 2, 2018 In a pristine patch of tropical rainforest in the central Amazon north of Manaus, a group of Brazilian scientists unloads boxes of heavy instruments from a truck and disappears down a thin path into the trees. Half a century ago, the Amazon covered an area about the size of the lower 48 United States. Since then, more than 16 percent of that area has fallen to loggers, miners and land-grabbers. Direct human impacts like these have long defined the battle to save the rainforest. But Carlos Quesada, with Brazil’s National Institute for Amazonian Research, says a new threat is now looming. This story by reporter Sam Eaton is the [first in a series about the Amazon this week.]( Also, according to the Congressional Budget Office, in just a few years [the US will be paying more in interest to pay down the national debt than on the military or Medicare.]( And immigrants and refugees from Syria and Iraq are among the [new tour guides at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.]( — Anna Pratt, The Scan editor [No Images? Click here.]( [The Amazon used to be a hedge against climate change. Those days may be over.]( [The Amazon used to be a hedge against climate change. Those days may be over.]( The world's greatest forest used to absorb greenhouse gases, but it may now be emitting them. And that could spell disaster for all of us. [The Amazon used to be a hedge against climate change. Those days may be over.]( [The Amazon used to be a hedge against climate change. Those days may be over.]( The world's greatest forest used to absorb greenhouse gases, but it may now be emitting them. And that could spell disaster for all of us. [US debt is eclipsing the rest of the world. So, where have the deficit hawks gone?]( [US debt is eclipsing the rest of the world. So, where have the deficit hawks gone?]( Just a few years ago, Republican Party leaders couldn’t stop warning us about the perils of the debt. But once in power, their voices have gone silent. The US is now one of the most indebted nations on earth. [US debt is eclipsing the rest of the world. So, where have the deficit hawks gone?]( [US debt is eclipsing the rest of the world. So, where have the deficit hawks gone?]( Just a few years ago, Republican Party leaders couldn’t stop warning us about the perils of the debt. But once in power, their voices have gone silent. The US is now one of the most indebted nations on earth. [Physics Nobel for laser pioneers includes first woman in 55 years]( [Physics Nobel for laser pioneers includes first woman in 55 years]( Canada's Donna Strickland, of the University of Waterloo, becomes only the third woman to win a Nobel for physics, after Marie Curie in 1903 and Maria Goeppert-Mayer in 1963. [Indonesia steps up hunt for survivors as quake toll passes 1,200]( [Indonesia steps up hunt for survivors as quake toll passes 1,200]( Indonesian President Joko Widodo called for reinforcements in a desperate search for survivors of a devastating earthquake and tsunami on Sulawesi island, as the official death toll rose above 1,200 on Tuesday. Hey, Scan reader… PRI takes a global approach to the news of the day. We help you understand how what happens around the world matters in Washington and in your neighborhood. Today more than ever, we need conversations, perspectives and diverse voices. [Donate Today >]( Enjoying The Scan? Forward it to a friend! And if you’re not getting it daily, it’s easy to subscribe. [Sign up here](. We also love feedback, so please [tell us how we’re doing](. Today’s newsletter was written by Anna Pratt. Find her on Twitter: [@annapratt](. [Press release]( [PRI Facebook]( [PRI Twitter]( [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( The Scan is brought to you by [GlobalPost]( and [PRI - Public Radio International](.