Deforestation in Amazon is at Record High, Prompting Alarm

Official data showed that deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon reached a new high in April, as environmentalists continue to blame President Jair Bolsonaro's policies for exacerbating the situation.

According to data provided recently by the national space research organisation INPE, Amazon deforestation totalled 1,012.5 square kilometres (390 square miles) from April 1 to 29. The organisation will release data for the month's final day next week.

The loss covers an area roughly equivalent to 140,000 football fields, making it the most for April since records began in 2015.

The record – the third in four months – is also the latest dismal statistic on Amazon deforestation under Bolsonaro, who has undermined environmental regulations since entering office in 2019, claiming that they impede economic development and thus poverty reduction in the region.

The destruction of the Brazilian Amazon in the first four months of this year set a new record of 1,954 square kilometres (754 square miles), up 69 per cent from the same period in 2021, clearing an area larger than New York City.

Experts have also expressed concern about high deforestation during the rainy season when loggers have difficulties getting trees.

Bolsonaro, who is running for re-election in October polls, has faced international censure over the Amazon's devastation.

Because of the massive amount of greenhouse gas absorbed by its trees, the preservation of the world's largest rainforest is critical to reducing climate change.

Leonardo DiCaprio, an American actor, took to Twitter last week to urge Brazilians to vote in the upcoming elections.

“Brazil is home to the Amazon and other ecosystems critical to climate change. What happens there matters to us all, and youth voting is key in driving change for a healthy planet,” he tweeted.

Source: Sky News