In Amazons, deforestation record broken – Breaking world news
Deforestation in the country’s Amazon reached a record high in February, according to new data released by Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE).
According to INPE’s DETER system, data shows that 322 square kilometers in the Amazon were deforested last month. The data, which states that 199 square kilometers were deforested in February of last year, reveals a 62 percent increase in February of this year.
The states with the highest deforestation were Mato Grosso with 162 square kilometers, Para with 46 square kilometers, Amazonas with 46 square kilometers and Roraima with 31 square kilometers.
Deforestation is on the rise in the Amazon due to illegal logging, mining activities and farmers’ efforts to expand their large tracts of land.
Firms operating in the Amazon are accused of destroying the habitats of local communities by poisoning soils and rivers.
While mining activities are currently not allowed in the Amazons, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been the subject of criticism for his stance in favor of allowing mining operations in the region for economic reasons.
Bolsonaro submitted a bill to the Brazilian parliament in February 2020 that would allow mining activities in the region.
Prior to assuming the presidency, current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pledged to protect the Amazon rainforest at the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in November 2022.
Silva stated that during the 4-year term of the Bolsonaro administration, deforestation in the Amazons increased by 73 percent, and that 13 thousand square kilometers were deforested. (AA)
