Rapid Deforestation in Brazil and Climate Change Implications

The Economist magazine reports a worrying trend in Brazil. A revival in deforestation is happening because of aggressive deregulations and lagging enforcement that started in 2012.

It accelerated in 2019 when a new president took office. This rapid deforestation will raise Brazil’s emissions by 10-20% compared to 2018.

There seems to be another reason for the fast clearing of their forest—cleared areas are being used for beef and soya farming, which supplies big company chains.

Trase, a research initiative by Global Canopy and Stockholm Environment Institute, both non-profit environmental organizations, has analysed Brazil’s supply chains. It finds that the bulk of soya bean exports come from an area ruined by illegal deforestation and end up in the lap of a few big companies. Beef production, however, is causing six times more deforestation than soya, the article says.

According to the article, corporate accountability is a problem that sets back the progress of climate change.

Why is deforestation in the Amazon significant?

The Amazon rainforest absorbs 3% of global carbon emissions, and a significant area the size of France has vanished since 1970. According to the economist article, almost all the deforestation activity in Brazil today is illegal.

The Mato Grosso state, where this lively deforestation is happening, has three large ecosystems: the Amazon rainforest, Cerrado savannah, and Pantanal wetlands.

The article covers the ongoing deforestation in Brazil. It identifies the firms, the amounts of beef and soya beans they buy from the area, and where these supplies end up.

Another Economist article explains how these large supply chains operate in the area and how they can stop deforestation.

These articles shed light on what is happening behind the illegal and rapid deforestation in the Amazon, the behaviour of the big food supply chain, its lack of accountability to the environment, and how earnest some governments are in tackling climate change issues.

Click on the links below to read these interesting articles:

PHOTO CREDIT: By Ibama from Brasil – Operação Onda Verde, 2014, CC BY 2.0, Link