Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon Has Set New Records, With an Area 11 Times the Size of New York City Being Used for Agriculture

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon set a new monthly record in September, continuing a trend that has intensified under the country's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

According to satellite data from the Brazilian space research agency INPE, around 1,455 square kilometers (562 square miles) of rainforest were destroyed in September.

This is up 48% from a year ago and surpasses the September 2019 record in a data period that began in 2015.

Under Bolsonaro, Amazon deforestation hits new September record

(Photo : DOUGLAS MAGNO/AFP via Getty Images)

Since Bolsonaro entered power in 2019, average deforestation in the critical environment has grown by 75% compared to the preceding decade, as per Al Jazeera.

The report of increased deforestation comes as Brazil prepares for a controversial election on October 30, in which Bolsonaro will face former left-wing president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has pledged to cut down on deforestation.

Anyone concerned about the future of the rainforest, Indigenous peoples' livelihoods, or the prospect of a habitable world should vote to remove Bolsonaro, said Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of the Climate Observatory, a network of environmental organizations, in a statement.

Lula won the first round last week but fell short of the 50% level required to avoid a run-off.

Environmentalists are concerned by Bolsonaro's shockingly good performance in the first round, which many expected him to lose entirely.

Many people feel that the approaching election will determine the fate of the Amazon, a critical resource in the battle against climate change.

Brazil is home to over 60% of the Amazon.

Bolsonaro, a friend of Brazil's strong agriculture industry, has presided over unprecedented deforestation of the rainforest as ranchers and loggers cut and burn vast sections of it.

During his first year in government in 2019, the worst year on record, 9,178 square kilometers (3,543 square miles) of land were devastated.

With three months left in the year, 2022 is now the second worst, with more than 8,590 square kilometers (3,316 square miles) damaged.

According to Reuters, the Brazilian justice ministry has stated that it is launching enforcement operations to combat illicit deforestation and burning.

However, fires have increased as agribusinesses strive to clear land for cropland and grazing pastures.

Brazil established a five-year high for the number of fires burning in the Amazon in early September, and campaigners have complained that enforcement has been lax under Bolsonaro.

According to a July analysis by the Igarape Institute, a Brazilian think tank, authorities are doing nothing to reduce deforestation in the Amazon.

The research looked at 302 environmental crime raids conducted by federal police in the Amazon between 2016 and 2021 and discovered that just 2% of them were targeting those unlawfully taking undesignated public properties.

Indigenous peoples and environmental land protectors have also been attacked and abused.

The president has justified his policies by claiming that they "balance environmental conservation with equitable and sustainable economic growth."

Also Read: Dams Induce Widespread Species Extinction in the Amazon Forest, Research Says

Effects Of Deforestation On The Amazon

What happens to the Amazon when the trees are chopped down? Not only does the Amazon have an impact on our planet, as per Amazon Aid Foundation.

However, forest loss has an impact on the region and its animals, plants, and people.

Disruption of Amazonian Peoples' Livelihoods - Forest deforestation immediately impacts and lowers forest natural resources and ecosystem services.

Cutting down rainforests may harm habitat, reduce biodiversity and food supplies, degrade soil, pollute rivers and lands, and cause regions to dry out, reducing overall productivity for the people and animals who live there.

Less rain and moisture, and more flames - As weather patterns shift from east to west, the Amazon's trees produce their own rainfall.

The Amazon dumps 20 billion tons of moisture into the atmosphere every day, fertilizing the clouds with rain. Deforestation dries up the forest, which can lead to drought and wildfires.

Biodiversity loss - Forest degradation damages the homes, habitat, and food supplies of the animals that reside there.

Every year, it is believed that 100,000 species become extinct in tropical forests. The extinction of one species in an ecosystem has an impact on the other species that rely on it.

The more biodiversity there is in a system, the healthier and more robust it is.

Temperatures will rise - The Amazon is already quite hot. Removing trees causes more sunshine to enter the forest floor, causing it to dry out and heat up.

When trees are burned, the carbon stored in their trunks, roots, branches, and leaves is released into the atmosphere, contributing to the thermal layer that retains and absorbs heat on the planet.

Related article: Preserving 80% of Amazon Rainforest Can Save it for the Future Generations