Deforestation In Brazil Amazon rainforest According to preliminary government data, June rose for the fourth consecutive month due to fears that destruction and drought will exacerbate the deterioration of forest fires in the future dry season.
According to data from Inpe, the national space research agency, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon in June increased by 1.8% compared to the same period last year, reaching 1,062 square kilometers (410 square miles).
According to Inpe’s data, in the first six months of this year, deforestation in the area increased by 17%, clearing 3,610 square kilometers. That is more than four times the area of New York City.
Since the right wing, deforestation has surged President Jair Bolsonaro Taking office in 2019 has aroused strong international protests from foreign governments and the public. Bolsonaro called for mining and agriculture in the Amazon protected area and weakened environmental law enforcement agencies. Environmentalists and scientists said this directly led to an increase in damage.
Bolsonaro’s press office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on its environmental policy or deforestation data.
Scientists say that because forests absorb a lot of greenhouse gases, protecting the Amazon basin is essential to curbing climate change.
Last month, Bolsonaro deployed the army to protect the Amazon region and broadly banned most outdoor fires, repeating the policy that has been promulgated every year since 2019 that has failed to reduce deforestation or fires.
An investigation by Reuters earlier this month found that Bolsonaro obstructed the environmental fines system, which is one of the main means of protecting rainforests and punishing illegal deforestation. According to internal government documents, at least 17,000 fines have not been recovered.
Although more unpaid fines pile up, the damage continues to increase. The advocacy organization Climate Observatory said in a statement that preliminary data indicate that more accurate annual deforestation data is expected to exceed 10,000 square kilometers for the third consecutive year. This level was last seen before Bolsonaro in 2008.
Experts say this is a worrying sign because Brazil is approaching the annual dry season peak, and fires usually peak in August and September.
Illegal loggers usually cut down valuable trees, and then speculators and ranchers use fire to clear the land to increase its agricultural value.
According to an analysis by the Woodwell Climate Research Center and the Amazon Environmental Institute (Ipam), nearly 5,000 square kilometers that have been felled since 2019 have not been burned.
According to an analysis released last week, “These areas are gunpowder boxes waiting for sparks.”
“Many of these fuel-intensive areas are adjacent to primeval forests, which makes them the main location for fires to spread from cleared land to remaining forests.”
In addition, according to data from the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Brazil is facing a severe drought, and the water intake of hydroelectric dams is at its lowest level in 91 years.
The drought includes many areas along the so-called “deforestation arc” in Brazil, which are the most destructive. Researchers say this year’s drought may lead to more serious fires.
Deforestation is also increasing in Colombia, Brazil’s northern neighbor. The Colombian Environment Minister said on Wednesday that deforestation in 2020 has increased by 8%, destroying 1,717 square kilometers.
(Reporting by Jake Spring, Editing by Frances Kerry)
