Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Iranian Shura Council recommends the closure of the Hormuz Strait and leaves the decision up to the Iranian National Security Council.
IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Pakpour: As time passes, the people's solidarity increases, which is a divine blessing
IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Pakpour: The Iranian Revolution Guard Corps' aerospace operations will not stop
Russian Foreign Ministry: IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi must ensure that an objective report is presented at the special session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Russian Foreign Ministry: The UN Security Council must respond to the US attacks on Iran
Russian Foreign Ministry: We strongly condemn the US strikes on Iran, calling the decision irresponsible
Iranian Red Crescent: Three personnel martyred, 29 injured in Israeli aggression
IRGC: We have identified and monitored the departure points of the US aircraft that carried out the aggression
IRGC: America has neither the initiative nor the ability to escape the consequences of a powerful response
IRGC: We strongly affirm that Iran's peaceful nuclear technology cannot be destroyed by any attack

Brazilian Amazon deforestation, up 60% increase under Bolsonaro, drops

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 2 Dec 2022 23:42
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

Annual deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has fallen 11.27% from the previous year, according to official data.

  • x
  • Amazon deforestation drops in Brazil. Source: AFP/GETTY.
    Amazon deforestation drops in Brazil. (Getty Images)

New government data show that deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has decreased in the 12 months through July, as incoming President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva seeks to restore protection for the vital rainforest.

According to INPE data released on Wednesday, 11,568 square kilometers (4,466 square miles) of forest cover were destroyed in the Brazilian Amazon from August 2021 to July 2022.

This was an 11% decrease from the same period last year when deforestation reached a 15-year high under far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

“It’s better to have a lower number than a higher number, but it’s still a very high number – the second highest in 13 years,” said Marcio Astrini, head of the Climate Observatory, an environmental advocacy group.

Read next: Amazon rainforest fund revived again in light of Lula's win in Brazil

The data released on Wednesday marked the end of four years of what environmentalists call disastrous Amazon management under Bolsonaro, who has been accused of weakening environmental and Indigenous protection agencies in favor of agribusiness and mining interests.

Under Bolsonaro, the average annual deforestation increased by 59.5% over the previous four years and 75.5% over the previous decade, according to INPE figures. “The Bolsonaro government was a forest-destroying machine… The only good news is that it’s about to end,” Astrini said in a statement.

“The devastation remains out of control. Jair Bolsonaro will hand his successor a filthy legacy of surging deforestation and an Amazon in flames.”

Related News

Jair Bolsonaro faces coup trial in Brazil’s supreme court

Brazil's Bolsonaro says rushed trial aims to block his reelection bid

Bolsonaro's office and the environment ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Experts say the vast majority of the clear-cutting and fires erasing the Amazon are to create new farmland -- especially for cattle ranches in Brazil, the world's top beef exporter.

The deforestation figures show the Amazon is being pushed toward a "tipping point", warned Mariana Napolitano, science director at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Brazil office.

"Significantly reducing deforestation... is imperative for humankind in the face of the twin climate and nature crises the world is facing," she said in a statement.

Lula to the rescue

However, Lula, a left-wing leader who won elections last month in a close race, has promised to work toward zero deforestation when he takes office on January 1, knowing that annual deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by 75% during Lula's first presidency.

“Brazil is ready to resume its leading role in the fight against the climate crisis,” he said shortly after being declared the winner of the October 30 presidential run-off.

Read next: Rainforest giants Brazil, Indonesia, DR Congo sign deforestation pact

He also spoke at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt earlier this month, telling hundreds of attendees that "Brazil is back in the world."

Indigenous leaders have raised concerns about the threats to their communities in the Brazilian Amazon under Bolsonaro, particularly in areas with little government oversight that farmers, miners, and poachers are attempting to control and exploit.

Last year, the Indigenous Missionary Council recorded 305 cases of "invasions, illegal exploitation of resources, and property damage" on Indigenous territories, affecting 226 Indigenous lands in 22 Brazilian states.

  • Jair Bolsonaro
  • Lula da Silva
  • Brazil
  • Amazon

Most Read

Iran launches 9th wave of Op. True Promise 3, destroys IOF air defense

Iran launches 9th wave of Op. True Promise 3, destroys IOF air defense

  • MENA
  • 17 Jun 2025
Rescue team work at the site where a missile launched from Iran struck Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, June 16, 2025 (AP)

Wave 12 of Operation True Promise 3 launched, Sejjil deployed: IRGC

  • Politics
  • 18 Jun 2025
Iran launches missile barrage to Tel Aviv, casualties reported

True Promise 3, wave 14: Tel Aviv targeted, casualties reported

  • Politics
  • 19 Jun 2025
Iran's heavy barrages impact multiple Israeli targets overnight

Iran's heavy barrages impact multiple Israeli targets overnight

  • Palestine
  • 18 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Iran UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani addresses a United Nations Security Council meeting, Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP)
Politics

Iran demands urgent UN Security Council session over US airstrikes

CIA Director John Ratcliffe, testifies before a hearing April 18, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
US & Canada

Trump aides pushed war on Iran with Mossad-fed intel, ignoring dissent

This photo released on Nov. 5, 2019, by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran shows centrifuge machines in the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran. (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran via AP, File)
Politics

Iran: Minor damage to nuclear sites after US attack, no radiation

The U.S. Capitol, on June 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
Politics

US lawmakers condemn Trump’s strikes on Iran; MAGA base frustrated

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS