In Brazil, deforestation in the Amazon has once again reached record levels. In just one year, more than 13,000 km2 of rainforest have been razed, over the period of August 2020 to July 2021, according to data transmitted by the National Institute of Space Research (INPE), the equivalent of the area of a country like Lebanon, and more than 120 times the size of a city like Paris.
It has been 15 long years since Brazil has seen such levels of destruction. The number of square kilometers of rainforest destroyed there each year has almost doubled compared to 2018, and the trend is accelerating: according to INPE, in just one year, deforestation has increased by nearly 22%.
Jair Bolsonaro always finds himself at the heart of the accusations. Having come to power in 2019, the Brazilian president has made a name for himself by dismantling the institutions responsible for protecting the environment. "The INPE figures are unfortunately not surprising. This president is doing exactly what he promised during his campaign. He is implementing his program," said Antonio Oviedo, a researcher at the Socioambiental Institute (ISA).
These figures are a slap in the face. Isolated since Donald Trump left office, Brazil's government is now under intense pressure from the United States and the European Union (EU) to reduce the destruction of the Amazon. Understanding that things have changed, Mr. Bolsonaro promised to give pledges.
Change of tone
For the government, speeches about the end of Indigenous reserves and the exploitation of the forest are over. "To those who persist in committing these environmental crimes, [we warn] that the Brazilian state will show its full strength in the Amazon," said Minister of Justice and Public Security Anderson Torres on Thursday, in a notable change.
'Brazil signs agreements to reassure its partners, but at home, it continues its anti-environmental policy'
Cristiane Mazzetti, spokesperson for the NGO Greenpeace in Brazil
Officially, the government is in combat. Three times since the beginning of the mandate, the armed forces have been mobilized to put out fires. In June, a new Minister of the Environment was appointed; in place of the controversial Ricardo Salles, the more diplomatic Joaquim Leite, ex-Secretary of the Amazon and Environmental Services in the Ministry, is in place.
Recently, several concrete commitments were made. At COP26 in Glasgow (Scotland), Brazil committed to ending illegal deforestation in the Amazon as early as 2028, two years earlier than initially planned, an announcement immediately welcomed by Western counterparts.
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