- Destruction of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil reached record levels again in April.
- According to official satellite data from the Brazilian Space Agency, more than 1,000 square kilometers of forests were cut down within a month.
- For April, the previous elevation was 580 square kilometres. Accessed last year.
“This number is very high at this time of year,” said Mariana Napolitano, scientific director of the WWF’s Brazil office. “This is a warning sign of the enormous pressure the forest is under.”
New record values almost every month
The authorities had already recorded new monthly highs in January and February. The Amazon rainforest is of central importance to climate protection. It is considered the “green lung” of the Earth.
However, under the rule of far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, the destruction of the rainforest has increased dramatically. Environmental and climate advocates hold Bolsonaro’s policies directly responsible, accusing him of favoring illegal deforestation.
Amazon economic development
Bolsonaro had already announced this during the election campaign, repeatedly opening protected areas for agriculture and mining. “The Bolsonaro government is encouraging deforestation and environmental crime,” said Marcio Astrini.
He is the president of the Network of Climate Activists and told Agence France-Presse: “What we are harvesting are these terrible, frightening and outrageous numbers.”
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