BRAZIL
An accelerated destruction of the Amazon rainforest has set alarm bells ringing. Satellite data from the National Space Research Institute in Sao Jose dos Campos shows that from 11,000 sq km in 1991, deforestation has increased by 34 per cent to 14,900 sq km a year between 1992-94. "That is an incredible explosion of deforestation," observed Philip Fearnside, an ecologist with the National Institute of Amazon Research in Manaus.
Brazil's government has moved in to pass tougher new restrictions on forest clearance. President Fernando Henrique Cardoso has announced a two-year suspension on new permits to cut mahogany and another rare tree called virola. Further, farmers must also preserve more land - 50 to 80 per cent of their property - from being cleared off for other purposes like using for pasture.
Environmentalists backing the government order, however, hold the impression that it may not serve any true purpose considering the blatant violation of environmental laws in the country.
Quoting an instance, Fearnside said that deforestation had increased most in the state of Mato Grosso. Ranchers asked to clear only 50 per cent of the land for pasture cleared nearly 100 per cent.
Related Content
- Funding a tuberculosis-free future: an investment case for screening and preventive treatment
- Renewables 2023: analysis and forecast to 2028
- Wind and solar benchmarks for a 1.5°C world
- Production gap report 2023
- Natural climate solutions and fire mitigation: early findings on the path to net zero
- Pulling the plug on fossils in power