The largest rainforest of the world continues to retreat, despite the promises made by the government of Jair Bolsonaro at COP26. She lost more than 13,000 km2 in one year.
Le Monde
Nothing seems to stop the deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon. According to an official estimate published on Thursday, November 18, it further increased by almost 22% between August 2020 and July 2021, compared to the previous period. It’s the record of the last fifteen years.
Exploitation in the world’s largest rainforest expanded on 13,235 km 2 during the period 2020-2021, the highest value since 2005-2006 (14 286 km 2 ), according to data from the surveillance system of Deforestation ProDes, the National Institute of Space Research (INPE) of Brazil.
This is the third consecutive year that deforestation progresses since the coming to the power of the Far President Jair Bolsonaro, who is the subject of international criticism for weakening the monitoring of Amazon ecosystems and defended extractive activities in protected areas.
More military on the ground
These figures represent “a challenge for us and we will have to be firmering with the environmental offenses,” said Brazilian environment, Joaquim Leite, at a press conference in Brasilia, shortly after the publication. of the document.
It said, however, that this data “do not exactly reflect the reality of the last few months”. The Brazilian government says it has intensified its efforts to combat illegal deforestation with an increased presence of military in the most affected areas.
“To those who persist in committing these environmental crimes, (we warn) that the Brazilian state will show its full strength in the Amazon,” said the Minister of Justice and Public Safety, Anderson Torres.
Data concealment before COP26
“This result is the result of a persistent, planned and continuous effort to destroy environmental protection policies” under the government Bolsonaro, said in a Marcio Astrini, Executive Secretary of the Climate Observatory , which includes the main NGOs and active environmental institutes in Brazil, including WWF and Greenpeace.
The Observatory also accused the Government to have concealed the data until after COP26, since the document, published Thursday by INPE, linked to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, is dated October 27, 2021.
“The government already had data on hand deforestation at the time of the Climate Conference in Scotland and deliberately omitted,” said the NGO. What the Minister of the Environment replied: “The information I have is disclosed today.”
The surface of Lebanon deforested every year
When it comes to power in 2019, partly in support of the powerful Lobby of Agronégocia, President Bolsonaro said he wants to open protected lands and indigenous reserves to agriculture and mining. / P>
The result is an annual average deforestation that now exceeds 10,000 km 2 – Lebanon’s area – compared to approximately 6,500 km 2 during the previous decade.
At the COP26 on the climate, Brazil has committed two years, from 2030 to 2028, the deadline for eliminating illegal deforestation in its territory, which houses 60% of the Amazon. “We will certainly be firmer to reverse the figures (from deforestation) and achieving the objective that was announced at the conference,” said Mr. Leite at the press conference.