The Amazon forest continues to "bald"

Forests are being cut down at an accelerated rate all over the world, the disease is not exclusively indigenous. The "lung of the world" began to suffer from deforestation. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon increased in July for the first time in 15 months, a setback for the government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The dramatic reduction in deforestation in the largest rainforest on the planet is one of the strengths of the leftist president's program since his return to power in 2023, after the phenomenon intensified under his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro. But the latest figures, published last week, tarnish this picture. The devastated area of the Brazilian Amazon reached 666 square kilometers last month, up 33% from the 500 km2 destroyed in July 2023, according to data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE). However, compared to the last 12 months, deforestation decreased by 45.7% compared to the previous period, a spectacular result. Thus, while 7,952 km2 of forest were destroyed in the period August 2022 - July 2023, in the period August 2023 - July 2024 the figure decreased to 4,315 km2. Lula promised to end illegal deforestation in Brazil by 2030. "When he came to power, President Lula prioritized the zero-deforestation agenda, not just for the Amazon, but for all biomes," he said at a conference of the press in Brasilia, Minister of the Environment Marina Silva, after the presentation of these results. Biomes are vast geographical areas that share a similar climate, flora and fauna.

Deforestation in the Amazon is closely associated with the expansion of agriculture and illegal mining. In June, Lula adopted a plan aimed at combating criminal organizations that contribute to deforestation in this ecosystem, asking his Government to show "agility" for its rapid implementation. The Amazon (of which 60% is in Brazil) plays a particularly important role against global warming due to the absorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. If the considerable trend to reduce deforestation is confirmed in the coming months, "Brazil will be very close to achieving its objective set for 2025 in the Paris Agreement", consisting of achieving a 48% reduction in the effect of of this greenhouse gas, the Observatory of Climate, a collective of NGOs, estimated in a statement. According to the group, "this is a good sign of leading by example for a country that will host the UN climate change conference" next year, COP30 to be held in the Amazon city of Belem. However, concern remains for the Cerrado, a biome located in southern Amazonia and a savanna area also very rich in biodiversity. A reduction was observed in the last four months, but the area affected by deforestation reached 7,015 km2 between August 2023 and July 2024, compared to 6,341 km2 in the previous period.