Image source credit: Christian Braga / Greenpeace
Cristina Abellan Matamoros reports in euronews.com that according to the country’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) Brazil has lost 7.900 km² of rainforest, five times the size of London, in one year. That is a 13.7% increase.
Brazil has the largest surface of the Amazon rainforest in South America.
According to Greenpeace Brazil, the cause for the increased deforestation lies in Brasilia with the government.
The NGO blames the rural lobby in Congress for “threatening the rainforest, its people, and the planet’s climate”.
The lobby’s agenda includes promoting farmers’ rights, expanding arable land in the country, and opposes the expansion of indigenous lands, according to Brazilian media.
“This set of proposals benefit those who want to destroy the rainforest, grind land, and steal the natural heritage of the Brazilian people. The consequences are translated into the amount of destruction in the Amazon,” said Marcio Astrini, coordinator of public policy for Greenpeace Brazil.
Content source credit: https://www.euronews.com/2018/11/28/in-pictures-deforestation-in-brazil-s-rainforest-is-close-to-five-times-the-size-of-london