Deep in the Amazon, an experiment is unfolding to evaluate what will happen to the world's largest rainforest when carbon dioxide levels rise.
The AmazonFace project, financed by Brazil and the UK, is “an open-air laboratory that will allow us to understand how the rainforest will behave in future climate change scenarios”, says Carlos Quesada, one of the co-ordinators.
Mr Quesada stands at the foot of a soaring metal tower that protrudes through the rainforest canopy at a site 80km north of Manaus in north-west Brazil.
Sixteen other towers arranged in a circle around it will “pump” carbon dioxide into the ring, replicating levels that may occur with global warming.
“How will the rainforest react to the rising temperature, the reduction in water availability, in a world with more carbon in the atmosphere?” asks Mr Quesada, a researcher at an Amazon research institute that is part of the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology.
The technology known as Face (Free Air CO2 Enrichment) has already been used to study the impact on forests in Australia, the US and the UK, but never in a tropical rainforest.
By 2024, there will be six “carbon rings” pumping carbon dioxide, one of the causes of global warming, at a concentration that is 40 per cent to 50 per cent higher than today.
Over a decade, researchers will analyse the processes occurring in leaves, roots, soil, water and nutrient cycles.
“We will have more accurate projections on how the Amazon rainforest can help combat climate change with its ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. Also, it will help us understand how the rainforest will be impacted by these changes,” says David Lapola, a researcher at the University of Campinas, who co-ordinates the project with Mr Quesada.
The carbon dioxide increase in the atmosphere may lead to the creation of grassy plains, or savannah, where the Amazon rainforest once flourished, with vegetation better adapted to higher temperatures and longer droughts.
But carbon dioxide could also “fertilise” the forest and make it temporarily more resistant to these changes.
“This is a positive scenario, at least for a short time, a period for us to get to zero-emission policies, to keep temperature increases to only 1.5ºC,” Mr Quesada says.
The project “is a window to the future”, he says.
“You open the window and look at what might be happening 30 years ahead.”
The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has called for ambitious action to counter global warming again this year.
According to its latest report in March, global warming will surpass 1.5ºC in the decades after 2030, leading to irreversible loss of ecosystems.
Coinciding with global warming is the impact of human deforestation in the Amazon.
A 2018 study by scientists Thomas Lovejoy and Carlos Nobre found that the Amazon is hurtling towards a tipping point where savannahs begin to replace rainforest.
They said that would happen with deforestation of 20 per cent to 25 per cent of Amazon territory. Currently, deforestation stands at 15 per cent.
AmazonFace, co-ordinated by the University of Campinas and the Brazilian Ministry of Science, has the support of the Foreign Office and the British Meteorological Service.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visited the site this week and announced a new contribution of £2 million ($2.4 million) to the project. The UK has given £7.3 million to the project since 2021.
Brazil, for its part, has invested 32 million reais ($6.4 million).
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Expert advice
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Profile
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
