Did you know?

Deforestation is accelerating in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.

The Brazilian’s government’s satellite monitoring agency revealed that deforestation in the Amazon was 218% higher in July 2019 than in July 2018.

In the last month only, Brazil lost 2254 square kilometers (870 square miles) of Amazon rainforest. It is the equivalent of more than 2 football pitches of forest lost per second.

Since Brazilian president Bolsonaro came to power in January, he has weakened the environment ministry, loosened controls on economic exploitation of the Amazon, halted demarcation of indigenous land and encouraged mining and farming interests to expand in the region.

Although these numbers come from satellite observation, president Bolsonaro has dismissed them and fired the director of the monitoring agency for revealing them.

These sad news come as Brazil is home to the world’s greatest rainforest area– which is a vital provider of oxygen and carbon sequestration for the entire planet.

Source: Le Monde, The Guardian, WWF