Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Science-Environment

Brazilian Amazon deforestation up 150% in Bolsonaro’s last month – Science-Environment News – Report by AFR

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon rose 150 percent in December from the previous year, according to government figures released Friday, a final bleak report for far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro in his last month in office.

Satellite monitoring detected 218.4 square kilometers (84.3 square miles) of forest cover destroyed in Brazil’s share of the world’s biggest rainforest last month, according to the national space agency’s DETER surveillance program.

The area — nearly four times the size of Manhattan — was up more than 150 percent from the 87.2 square kilometers destroyed in December 2021, according to the agency, INPE.

Bolsonaro, who was replaced on January 1 by leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, triggered an international outcry during his four years in office for a surge of fires and clear-cutting in the Amazon, a key resource in the race to curb climate change.

Under Bolsonaro, an agribusiness ally, average annual deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon rose by 75.5 percent from the previous decade.

“Bolsonaro’s government may be over, but his tragic environmental legacy will still be felt for a long time,” Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of the Climate Observatory, a coalition of environmental groups, said in a statement.

It was the third-worst December on record for the eight-year-old DETER program, after 2017 and 2015.

Deforestation in 2022 was also at or near record highs during the crucial dry-season months of August, September and October, when clear-cutting and fires often surge because of drier weather.

Experts say the destruction is mainly driven by farms and land grabbers clearing the forest for cattle and crops.

Lula presided over a sharp drop in deforestation when he previously led Brazil from 2003 to 2010.

He has vowed to reboot Brazil’s environmental protection programs, fight for zero deforestation and ensure the South American giant stops being a “pariah” on climate issues.

#Brazilian #Amazon #deforestation #Bolsonaros #month

You May Also Like

Business

State would join dozens of others in enacting legislation based on federal government’s landmark whistleblower statute, the False Claims Act

press release

With a deep understanding of the latest tech, Erbo helps businesses flourish in a digital world.

press release

#Automotive #Carbon #Canister #Market #Projected #Hit #USD New York, US, Oct. 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  According to a comprehensive research report by Market...

press release

Barrington Research Analyst James C.Goss reiterated an Outperform rating on shares of IMAX Corp IMAX with a Price target of $20. As theaters...