The Amazon probably doesn't absorb any net amount of carbon, unless it's growing.

Let's demystify this: The carbon trapped in the Amazon is the plants. When plants consume CO₂, the C part becomes the plant. In a forest in equilibrium, growing plants do capture carbon from the air, but rotting dead plants release an equal amount.

So when you chop down a forest, and for the sake of example burn all the plants, you're releasing a large one-time amount of CO₂, but then the whole damage is done. And if you then leave the area alone, the forest will regenerate over the next 50-100 years, reabsorb the same amount of CO₂.

If you chop down the forest and build lasting structures from the wood, you're actually removing net CO₂!