The Amazon is go through a surge in deforestation – and it ’s all thanks to the new direction of Brazil under so - called “ Captain Chainsaw ” , President Jair Bolsonaro .
Over 2,254 straight km ( 870 square miles ) of Amazon rainforest were chopped down in Brazil during July 2019 alone , a 278 percentage increase on the same time period in 2018 , accord to new data from the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research ( INPE ) widelycited by Brazilian media .
So far in 2019,INPE orbiter datahave shown that 4,699 square kilometers ( 1,814 solid miles ) have been disafforest in the Amazon – that ’s larger than the Department of State of Rhode Island – compared to 2,810 square kilometers ( 1,084 straight miles ) in the same point last year .
Brazil contains close to 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest , with small ball being encounter in Peru , Colombia , Venezuela , Ecuador , Bolivia , Guyana , and Suriname . Even beyond the very veridical threat to biodiversity andindigenous people , rationalise down the Amazon will have smash - on effects across the cosmos because the rainforest plays an inbuilt role in C storage and climate alteration mitigation .
Since take away office as president on January 1 , 2019 , Bolsonaro has continuallyexpressed hostilitytowards environmentalism and loosened environmental protections , or else opting for policies that are guided by nationalism and agro - business .
So , gratuitous to say , he was not felicitous with these new event being published . In the days leading up to this new data being publically released , his administrationfired the head of the INPE , Professor Ricardo Magnus Osório Galvão , replacing himwith military piece Darcton Policarpo Damião . Brazil ’s environmental minister Ricardo Salles has also indicated that the government is looking for a private company to take over from the INPE to monitor disforestation in the Amazon .
Bolsonaro has double down on his attacks against Galvão , incriminate him of " lie " about disforestation data point and being " in the service of NGOs . "
“ I am convinced that the data point is a lie , and we will ask the president ( of the INPE ) to come here and talk about it , ” Bolsonaro toldEuropean journalist on July 19.“We understand the importance of the Amazon for the reality – but the Amazon is ours , not yours . "
“ No country in the world has the moral rightfield to talk about the Amazon , ” headded . " You destroyed your own ecosystems . ”
In spite of the drama , the former INPE chief Professor Galvão has stuck to his guns and reaffirm that the data is precise .
“ This was a defense of the self-respect of the Brazilian scientific discipline , not only for Brazilian scientist , but for all scientists , ” Galvão toldThe Washington Postthis hebdomad . “ Our data should never be conquer by political interest . ”
