Amazon deforestation in Brazil remains near 15-year high

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By FABIANO MAISONNAVE

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon slowed slightly last year, a year after a 15-year high, according to closely watched numbers published Wednesday. The data was released by the National Institute for Space Research.

The agency’s Prodes monitoring system shows the rainforest lost an area roughly the size of Qatar, some 11,600 square kilometers (4,500 square miles) in the 12 months from August 2021 to July 2022.

That is down 11% compared to the previous year, when over 13,000 square kilometers (5,000 square miles) were destroyed.

For more than a decade it looked as though things were getting better for the Brazilian Amazon. Deforestation had declined dramatically and never rose back above 10,000 square kilometers. That was before the presidency of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, beginning in January 2019.



FILE - Smoke rises from a forest fire in the Transamazonica highway region, in the municipality of Labrea, Amazonas state, Brazil, Sept. 17, 2022. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon slowed slightly last year, a year after a 15-year high, according to closely watched numbers published Wednesday, Nov. 30. (AP Photo/Edmar Barros, File)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/jair-bolsonaro-forests-brazil-middle-east-deforestation-863224be226725da06db7768b305c3ea

[peppertree]

1. Hopefully, that'll improve now that Bolsonazi's been defeated

The guy never saw a jungle clearing he didn't like.

President-elect Lula da Silva, moreover, has pledged to form an 'OPEC of rainforest nations' - to include Brazil, as well as Indonesia as DR Congo (ex-Zaire).

https://www.democraticunderground.com/113335353

Between the three, they're home to over half the world's rain forests - and are home to 590 million people.

Thanks for finding and posting this, Steve. Have a great weekend.

[cstanleytech]

2. It's likely to continue until the other countries of the world realize that they need to chip

in and provide financial compensation to the varies countries in South America to protect their forests.

[SouthernDem4ever]

3. When the lungs of the planet die, we all will follow

Very sad.

[orangecrush]

4. A way must be found

To provide impoverished Brazilians a way of earning a living.

Poverty gives people like Bolsonaro a foothold.

The Brazilian economy can and should be enlivened without destroying the rain forests, and we should do as much as we can to help that happen

It's in our own best interest.

[Evolve Dammit]

5. "We" seem intent on destroying our environment and subsequently ourselves for $$$

[flvegan]

6. I'd be happy to be corrected on this, but isn't cattle ranching

the leading cause of deforestation here? And the deforesting to plant and harvest soy to feed said cattle.

If only, and I'm just asking questions here, if only there was something we could do, individually, to eliminate our role in this, like, immediately, tomorrow, at breakfast.

Hmm.