Alarming! Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon hits new records, kicks off climate concerns

Kicking off environmental concerns, Brazil’s Amazon has been witnessing a huge spike in deforestation for some time, media reports said.

In April, it reached record levels. Around double the area of the forest has been removed in comparison to the same month last year, shows the preliminary government data.

In the region, deforestation touched 1,012.5 square km (390 square miles) in first 29 days of April, as per data from the National Space Research Agency (INPE) on Friday.

For April’s final day, the agency will report data next week. It compiles data monthly since 2015/2016.

This is the third monthly record this year after January and February also witnessed surge.

In four months of this year, Brazilian Amazon’s deforestation has touched 1,954 square km (754 square miles). It is an increase of 69% compared to the same period last year.

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Since President Jair Bolsonaro took office in 2019, the deforestation has soared.

In a statement, Marcio Astrini, head, Brazilian advocacy group Climate Observatory, told the Guardian, “The cause of this record has a first and last name: Jair Messias Bolsonaro.”

The government is making efforts to fight environmental crimes. The police and environmental authorities are also cooperating on an operation to combat deforestation in the five Amazon states of the country, the ministries of environment and justice said in a joint statement.

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(With inputs from agencies)