Deforestation alerts in the Brazilian Amazon decreased by 15% in March this year when compared to the same month in 2021. However, deforestation warnings were recorded in the first quarter of 2022 for 941 km², an increase of 64% compared to the same period last year.

The area destroyed is the largest one recorded since 2016 for the period between January and March. It is equivalent to almost three times the size of the city of Belo Horizonte (MG). The figures come from the INPE (National Institute for Space Research) Deter warning system and were disclosed on April 8th.

According to an analysis carried out by the NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) Greenpeace, on indigenous lands alone, the area with deforestation alert was 7.49 km[MH1] ² in the first quarter of 2022 – an increase of 52% when compared to the first three months of 2021. These lands are protected by Brazilian law and should not undergo deforestation, but some of them have been taken over to develop commercial activities, such as agriculture and mining.

Global Warming

A report published on April 4th by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), shortly before the figures were released, warns that governments are not doing enough to curb greenhouse gas emissions and prevent global warming’s worst impact. While the use of fossil fuels such as petroleum products is the main culprit, deforestation is responsible for close to 10% of emissions worldwide – find out more about IPCC report in JOCA 185

“Conserving forests and other ecosystems are some of the solutions identified by the IPCC to limit global warming to 1.5ºC,” said Cristiane Mazzetti, the Amazon spokesperson for Greenpeace Brazil. The Brazilian federal government has faced national and international criticism for the increase in deforestation in the Amazon.

Questions

1) Which information is true?
a) Deforestation in the Amazon decreased by 15% in the first quarter of 2022.
b) The increase in deforestation in the Amazon region was 65% in March of this year.
c) The destroyed area in the Amazon in the first quarter of 2022 is almost three times the area of ​​the capital of Minas Gerais.
d) On indigenous land, deforestation spanned an area of ​​941 km².

2) What do you think could be done to reduce deforestation in the Amazon?

Sources: CNN, Estadão, G1, Greenpeace, and INPE

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