“We are one of the countries that protects its environment and its forests the most,” said the far-right head of state on Friday at the Organization of American States (OAS) summit in Los Angeles. “84 percent of the Amazon region is intact. That’s where we have the greatest biodiversity in the world.” No other country has such comprehensive environmental laws.
Destruction of the rainforest increased
In fact, however, the destruction of the Brazilian rainforest, which is enormously important for the global climate, has recently increased dramatically again. A total of 21,642 hectares of the so-called Mata Atlântica, which stretches along the entire east coast of Brazil, were destroyed between November 2020 and October 2021, according to a recently published report by an environmental organization. This is an increase of 66 percent compared to the same period last year. The destruction of the forest areas released the equivalent of 10.3 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, said the organization SOS Mata Atlântica, which based its report on satellite images. The report shows that the Mata Atlântica is also suffering “from the decline in environmental policy and legislation”. The destruction of the rainforest accelerates man-made climate change.
By far the largest part of the Amazon forest is in Brazil. Environmentalists have criticized Bolsonaro for not doing enough to stop deforestation. They accuse him of having created a social climate in which farmers also feel encouraged to take land illegally. It has also weakened environmental and control authorities. Deforestation increased significantly during his tenure. Above all, the President sees untapped economic potential in the Amazon region. He wants to open up even more land for agriculture, mining and energy production.
In view of an impending food shortage due to the Ukraine war, Bolsonaro emphasized the importance of his country for food production. “We feed a billion people. Without our agriculture, half of humanity would starve,” he said at the America Summit. “Only 27 percent of our land is used for livestock and agriculture. We don’t need the Amazon to drive our agribusiness.”
Source: Nachrichten
