Deforestation cut by 25%
A BBC article tells how the Brazilian President ‘Lula’ has announced figures that show that deforestation in the Amazon has slowed by 25% to the lowest rates since 2000. This has been granted due to increased measures against illegal logging and environmental policies. Deforestation is responsible for 75% of Brazil’s CO2 emissions, as new land is cleared to make way for economic expansion. The President argues that “it’s possible to have growth while preserving the environment… The challenge that we have overcome is knowing how to use the jungle and how to preserve the environment while allowing people’s lives to be improved.”
Whether these figures are being used as a publicity stunt is not clear, as historically, the levels of deforestation vary immensely from year to year. Hopeful news nevertheless.
Paulo Moutinho, co-ordinator at the Environmental Research Institute of the Amazon, told Reuters news agency that rising commodity prices this year could fuel renewed destruction.
“Awareness and policies improved in the federal and state governments, but the real test is if rates fall during a commodity price rally,” Mr Moutinho said.
If the price of crops such as soya were to continue rising, the destruction of the rainforest could grow again, our correspondent says.