Amazon Rainforest: The Devastating Impact Of Brazil's Pro-Deforestation Policies

CLIMATE CHANGE
By Sally Ho Published on Jun 3, 2020 Last updated Jun 3, 2020



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Two new studies show the alarming rate of deforestation in Brazil during the first year of far-right president Jair Bolsonaro’s time in office. Both studies were released days after video footage revealed the environmental minister advocated for environmental deregulation while the public remained distracted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Since Bolsonaro took office in January last year, he has made promises to end environmental oversight and encouraged industrial development in rainforests, prompting huge deliberate wildfires set all over the Amazon rainforest.

News of the scale of deforestation made headlines in August last year, sparking rage and shock across the world about the loss of one of the world’s most powerful tools against global heating.



Source: Carl De Souza / AFP / Getty Images

In one study, researchers found Brazil had lost 12,000 square kilometres of forest last year. Conducted by experts at multi-institutional organisation MapBiomas, the study found that over three-quarters of the deforestation happened on land via a self-registration system that Brazilian farmers used to claim ownership, and that 99% of it was illegal.

More:
https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/research-devastating-impact-of-brazilian-governments-pro-deforestation-policies/

More from the article:

. . . the environment minister Ricardo Salles encouraging the government to use the coronavirus pandemic as a cover to take away the country’s few remaining environmental protection laws.

In the video of the ministerial meeting, Salles said: “We need to make an effort while we are in a quiet moment for press coverage because they only talk about Covid.”