A report by Brazil’s research agency (INPE) found that deforestation in the Amazon rainforest increased by 22% in just a year.
Brazil has previously planned to target the issue of deforestation in the Amazon, and protect its indigenous population.
However, statistics show an increase in deforestation as opposed to an improvement in the area. During the COP26 summit in Glasgow, Brazil had promised to reverse deforestation by 2030.
Official advisors said that the UK was also “nowhere near” meeting its targets described at the meeting.
Working for an aerospace agency in Brazil, Vinicius Emanuel expressed: “Given that the UK won’t meet the COP targets, I think Brazil also won’t. The current government has regressed in its fight against deforestation.
“Instead, they loosened the criteria for environmental fines and have diminished the power of environmental inspectors. The current government is not interested in environmental issues, and the majority of Brazilians do not care neither.”
“I feel hopeless. International help is needed. Other countries should make demands for the preservation of the Amazon, such as not buying any products which link to the Amazon deforestation.”
Mr. Emanuel explained that Brazilians were faced with other problems which were closer to home, such as unemployment, inflation, teenage pregnancy, the quality of education and health as well as a high youth population. These, he said, were seen as more critical issues than that of the Amazon.
The Amazon rainforest is the last rainforest on Earth in terms of size. It is often described as the ‘breathing lungs of the Earth’ due to its extensive greenery and biodiversity.
A report released last Monday linked large brands to the problem of the Amazon’s deforestation.
In the report, companies such as Nike, Prada, H&M, Zara, and Adidas were cited as having multiple supply-chain links to the largest Brazilian leather exporter, JBS, which is known to engage in Amazon deforestation.
Cattle-ranching, however, remains the biggest culprit of the Amazon’s decline.
