Deforestation of Brazil's Amazon rises sharply

[Gunny]

Associated Press

SAO PAULO, Brazil - Brazil will combat rising deforestation in the Amazon by sending extra federal police and environmental protection officers to areas where illegal clearing of the rain forest jumped dramatically last year, officials said Thursday.

Authorities will also monitor the areas where the deforestation occurred in an attempt to prevent anyone from trying to plant crops or raise cattle there, said Environment Minister Marina Silva.

The measures were announced after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called an emergency meeting of Cabinet ministers to discuss new data showing an apparent reverse of a three-year decline that Silva has repeatedly praised.

The clearing of Brazil's Amazon rain forest jumped in the final months of 2007, spurred by heavy market demand for corn, soy and cattle. The 36 areas being targeted registered the highest rates of deforestation, environmental officials said.

Officials will also try to fine people or businesses who buy anything produced on the deforested land in the 36 small cities and towns, the environment minister said.

The plan means a 25 percent increase in the police force assigned to the region, though Justice Minister Tarso Genro did not say how many officers will take part.

more ... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22818963/

Sounds like throwing a bucket of water on a forest fire to me.

 

[Toro]

The simple fact is that the area dedicated to farmland around the world over the past three decades has fallen and now the price of agricultural commodities is soaring. So its no wonder the Amazon rainforest is slowly being torn out.

 

[nibor]

Uh yeah the rainforests hold the cures.....................I wonder what geniuses convinced them to grow flippin' corn....................UNBELIEVABLE

 

[Helios]

Sounds like throwing a bucket of water on a forest fire to me.

It's sad, but the simple fact of the matter is that people never realize the extent they are destroying their own future until it's too late... the rainforests are fundamental components of why life is possible on Earth, including regulating global temperature, being evolutionary hot spots and containing the cures for many of today's critical diseases.

This can't end well for humanity, unless some actions are taken to restore or at least protect the existing rainforests.

 

[Gunny]

It's sad, but the simple fact of the matter is that people never realize the extent they are destroying their own future until it's too late... the rainforests are fundamental components of why life is possible on Earth, including regulating global temperature, being evolutionary hot spots and containing the cures for many of today's critical diseases.

This can't end well for humanity, unless some actions are taken to restore or at least protect the existing rainforests.

What's really sad is we DO know we are destroying entire ecosystems, but the moneygrubbers just don't care and nobody stops them.

We can't regulate global temperature. We can only affect it insofar as our greenhouse gas emissions are concerned. Beyond that extent, global warming/cooling is cyclical and going to happen no matter what we do.

 

[Helios]

What's really sad is we DO know we are destroying entire ecosystems, but the moneygrubbers just don't care and nobody stops them.

We can't regulate global temperature. We can only affect it insofar as our greenhouse gas emissions are concerned. Beyond that extent, global warming/cooling is cyclical and going to happen no matter what we do.

Yes thats true, but global warming and cooling is supposed to take place over hundreds or thousands of years, not as rapidly as it has. I don't think understating the impact we have had on global warming does much good.

 

[waltky]

Brazil losing the deforestation fight...

Brazil Confirms Amazon Deforestation Sped Up in 2013
September 10, 2014 — The destruction of the world's largest rainforest accelerated last year with a 29 percent spike in deforestation, according to final figures released by the Brazilian government on Wednesday that confirmed a reversal in gains seen since 2009.

Satellite data for the 12 months through the end of July 2013 showed that 5,891 square km (3,360 square miles) of forest were cleared in the Brazilian Amazon, an area half the size of Puerto Rico. Fighting the destruction of the Amazon is considered crucial for reducing global warming because deforestation worldwide accounts for 15 percent of annual emissions of heat-trapping gasses, more than the entire transportation sector.

Besides being a giant carbon sink, the Amazon is a biodiversity sanctuary, holding billions of species yet to be studied. Preliminary data released late last year by Brazil's space research center INPE had indicated deforestation was on the rise again, as conservationist groups had warned.

An aerial view of a tract of Amazon jungle recently cleared by loggers and farmers near the city of Novo Progresso, Para state, Brazil

The largest increases in deforestation were seen in the states of Para and Mato Grosso, where the bulk of Brazil's agricultural expansion is taking place. More than 1,000 square km (390 square miles) has been cleared in each state. Other reasons for the rebound in deforestation include illegal logging and the invasion of public lands adjacent to big infrastructure projects in the Amazon, such as roads and hydroelectric dams.

Despite the increase in 2013, the cleared area is still the second-lowest annual figure since the Brazilian government began tracking deforestation in 2004, when almost 30,000 square km (11,580 square miles) of forest were lost. The Brazilian government frequently launches police operations to fight illegal loggers in the forest, but environmentalists say more is needed.

Brazil Confirms Amazon Deforestation Sped Up in 2013

 

[waltky]

Destruction of Brazil's Amazon Forest speeding up, not slowing down...

Destruction of Brazil's Amazon Forest Jumps 16 Percent in 2015
November 26, 2015 — The destruction of Brazil's Amazon forest, the world's largest intact rainforest, increased by 16 percent in 2015 from a year ago as the government struggled to enforce legislation and stop illegal clearings.

Satellite data for the 12 months through the end of July, released Thursday, showed that 5,831 square kilometers (2,251 square miles) of forests were cleared in the Brazilian Amazon, an area half the size of Puerto Rico. The data released by the environment ministry confirmed preliminary information released by environmental institutions recently that were showing an increase in deforestation after a fall seen in 2014. The disclosure came at a sensitive moment for the Brazilian government as countries around the world gather in Paris to discuss a new global climate agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Deforestation makes up to about 15 percent of world's heat-trapping gases, more than the entire transport sector.

The Amazon rainforest, bordered by deforested land prepared for the planting of soybeans, is pictured in this aerial photo taken over Mato Grosso state in western Brazi​

A strong increase in Mato Grosso state, Brazil's top grains and livestock producer, was the main factor behind the increase. Landowners in Mato Grosso cleared around 1,500 square kilometers of forests, 500 more than in 2014. "It was a surprise, particularly the increase in Mato Grosso," Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira told reporters in Brasilia. "Pressure for more logging is again strong and coming from agriculture and livestock activities." Besides being a giant carbon sink, the Amazon is a biodiversity sanctuary, holding myriad species yet to be studied, so any increase in deforestation usually sparks criticism from environmentalists.

The government often launches police operations to fight illegal logging, but environmental groups say a bigger effort is needed. Teixeira said she had called governors in the states that had the biggest increases in deforestation to discuss the situation. They will be asked to present evaluations explaining why deforestation increased. Despite the jump this year, the cleared area is still much smaller than in the past, as the country managed to sharply reduce the Amazon's destruction since it began tracking deforestation in 2004, when almost 30,000 square kilometers of forest were lost.

Destruction of Brazil's Amazon Forest Jumps 16 Percent in 2015

 

[waltky]

See also:

Pope Calls for Action to Avert Environmental Disaster
November 26, 2015 — Pope Francis took his message of caring for the planet to the offices of the U.N. Environment Program in Nairobi on Thursday and called for immediate action to stem climate change and protect the environment.

"In this international context, we are confronted with a choice which cannot be ignored: either to improve or to destroy the environment,” the pontiff said in his address at the U.N. compound. Francis urged that selfish interests be put aside. “In a few days, an important meeting on climate change will be held in Paris. ... It would be sad, and I dare say even catastrophic, were particular interests to prevail over the common good,” he said.

Achim Steiner, executive director of UNEP, agreed with Francis' desire to reach a sustainable agreement at the climate summit in Paris, which begins Monday. “That approach has embedded climate change into the global consciousness," he said. "Not just the science on harmful emissions and the wasteful practices that contribute to them, but the well-being of a healthy planet that includes justice, equality and solidarity with the most vulnerable in society — the very people who are often the least responsible for the problem but the most affected by the consequences.”

The pope called for action against poaching and illegal mineral exploitation in Africa and for "a new energy system," reducing fossil fuel use to the minimum and rethinking "the current model of development." Participants in the Paris conference hope to achieve, for the first time in over 20 years of U.N. negotiations, a binding and agreement on climate involving all the nations of the world.

Pope Calls for Action to Avert Environmental Disaster

 

[Likkmee]

The simple fact is that the area dedicated to farmland around the world over the past three decades has fallen and now the price of agricultural commodities is soaring. So its no wonder the Amazon rainforest is slowly being torn out.

No. Vast areas of farmland have been converted to energy production so more land must be cleared for food......which will also be eventually converted to energy production which wi.......................