The latest changes in the policy of the Brazilian government threaten the very existence of the Amazon rainforest, the BBC reports.
Brazil’s Ministry of the Environment is sounding the alarm in an effort to save Amazon forests from illegal logging. The coronavirus pandemic, a shortage of equipment supplied from abroad and, most importantly, the lack of financial support from the government, leave the fighters for the conservation of forests face to face with a global problem. Environmental protection officers are forced to fight their way into the forests. Farmers and lumberjacks are blocking roads and putting up armed resistance. The attempt to preserve the Amazon turned into a real war. In 2020, the planet has lost a record number of its green territories. Over 6.8 thousand square kilometers of forests were cut down. The Amazon rainforest is a key natural feature of the planet, covering a total area of 5.5 million square kilometers and playing a key role in maintaining the average annual temperature on the planet. These forests produce 20% of the oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere and are called the “lungs of the planet.”