Sao Paulo | Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has reached its highest level in twelve years, according to official data released on Monday that prompted condemnations from the government of President Jair Bolsonaro.
In total, 11,088 km2 of forest were destroyed in twelve months until last August, according to the Brazilian National Institute of Space Research (INPE) which analyzes satellite images.
The deforested area is larger than Jamaica, and increased by 9.5% compared to last year, when deforestation had already broken a record in ten years.
These figures are the highest since 2008, when 12,911 km2 of forest had been destroyed in the Brazilian Amazon.
“Due to such deforestation, Brazil is probably the only major emitter of greenhouse gases that has managed to increase its emissions during a year in which the world economy was paralyzed”, estimated the Observatory. du climat, an NGO collective in Brazil.
Forests like the Amazon play a critical role in controlling climate change due to their ability to absorb carbon. But when trees die or are burnt, they release carbon back into the environment.
The far-right Brazilian president, a notorious climate-skeptic, has come under heavy criticism from the international community about his environmental management, especially in 2019, due to a sharp increase in fires in the Amazon during his first year in office. mandate.
His government is calling for legalizing agriculture or mining activities in protected areas and has cut funds for environmental protection programs.
Environmentalists say these policies are fueling the destruction of the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, of which about 60% is in Brazil.
“The vision of the Bolsonaro government for the development of the Amazon is a return to the rampant deforestation of the past. It is a retrograde vision which is far from the efforts required to deal with the climate crisis, ”said Cristiane Mazzetti, spokesperson for Greenpeace, in a statement.
Vice President Hamilton Mourao, who presented the figures at a press conference, defended the government’s commitment to tackle deforestation.
“The message I am sending on behalf of President Bolsonaro is that we will continue to work with science and technology to support the work of environmental protection agencies,” assured the retired general who heads the task force on the Amazon created by the Head of State.
US President-elect Joe Biden in October threatened Brazil with “significant economic consequences” if deforestation continued in the Amazon, but President Bolsonaro had warned that his country did not intend to be pressured on the matter.
