Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest hit a new record in the first six months of the year. Compared to the same months last year, deforestation in the region has increased by more than 10 percent. This can have devastating consequences.
Data released Friday by the Brazilian Institute of Space Research (INPE) showed frightening values. Accordingly, 3,988 square kilometers of Amazon rainforest were cleared from January to June this year. That’s about five times the area of New York City. This is the highest level since the measurements started in 2015.
Large number of fires feared
“If we have high deforestation rates, it is inevitable that we will also have high fires,” warned Manoela Machado, a researcher on wildfires and deforestation at the Woodwell Climate Research Center and the University of Oxford. Brazil also registered the highest number of wildfires in the Amazon in 15 years in June. In fact, the fires only reach their peak in August and September.
Lukas Meus, a forest expert at Greenpeace in Austria, warned of the dramatic consequences of deforestation: “The destruction of the Amazon is becoming more devastating every year. Under Bolsonaro and his anti-environmental policies, the Amazon is being looted by all means possible. But we all have an intact rainforest. It is home to indigenous and traditional communities, is an essential habitat for animals such as jaguars, monkeys and sloths and is the green lifeline for an intact climate. If we lose the rainforest, we also lose the battle against climate change and species crisis”.
Bolsonaros anti-environmental policy
Specifically, the government under President Jair Bolsonaro is accused of tolerating the illegal felling of old-growth forests. The free space is then used for the cultivation of soy and livestock. Under international pressure from the US and Europe, the Brazilian government has officially pledged to end illegal logging by 2028. At the world climate summit in Glasgow in November 2021, the politicians signed a global agreement with more than 100 other countries that provides for an end to large-scale deforestation.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
