Deforestation In Brazilian Amazon Zooms By 22%

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon region is on the rise, with an area of more than 13,000 square kilometers razed in the span of a year, the country's National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) said.

Photo Insert: The Macawa is but one of the myriad of species whose habitat is threatened.

Satellite data from Inpe showed that between August 1, 2020 and July 31, 2021, 13,235 square kilometers were lost, marking the largest deforested area since 2008 and a 22-per-cent increase on the previous recorded year, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

Earlier provisional data from Inpe had already indicated deforestation was growing. Brazil is seen as having a key role in mitigating climate change. Much of the country has experienced water shortages and drought in recent months. The South American country's share of the Amazon, an important carbon dioxide reservoir, is equivalent to Western Europe in size.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro sees the Amazon region primarily as untapped economic potential. The Brazilian government has come under international pressure and announced at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow that it would end illegal deforestation of the Amazon rainforest by 2028.

Greenpeace said the Thursday deforestation data was dated October 27, days before COP26 began, and accused the Brazilian government of trying to boost its image while already aware another deforestation record had been broken.

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