AND
s the green lung and the largest tropical forest on the planet. Fundamental to regulate its climate. It occupies almost 60 percent of the extension of Brazil. However, it is where the greatest destruction is recorded. According to official data, in the first six months of this year it lost almost 4 thousand square kilometers of vegetation, 10.6 percent more than in the same period of 2021. It is a growing devastation since the far-right Jair Bolsonaro came to power four years ago. And it is the largest loss recorded by the National Institute for Space Research of Brazil (INPE, for its acronym in Portuguese), which began collecting data by satellite seven years ago.
According to INPE, every minute the Brazilian Amazon loses the equivalent of two soccer fields. In June of this year, 1,120 square kilometers were left without native vegetation. One of the causes: the fires (the worst since 2010) due to the drought, to which is added the deforestation perpetrated by interests linked to mining, agricultural and logging activities, for example. And also the intentionally set fires to open up new areas of economic exploitation.
In everything that happens, the negative role of Bolsonaro jumps out. Criticism of him is not limited to Brazil, but also garners international attention. And it is that the president’s environmental policies have been disastrous. According to him, protecting the Amazon as well as other measures that seek to maximize the rational use of natural resources are an obstacle to economic development. And although he approved a legal framework to protect the Amazon, he notably reduced financial support for programs to protect and monitor it. And something very serious: his government is decidedly in favor of indigenous lands, historically protected, being able to dedicate themselves to mining and agricultural extractivist activities. The result is very clear: the dispossession of the heritage of the original communities and the assassination of the leaders who oppose this change.
Added to all of the above are the flaws in the administrative scaffolding related to environmental issues: the department responsible for such an important issue last year did not exercise more than half of the budget assigned to it for its tasks, especially what is related to surveillance of natural areas. It should come as no surprise, then, that all estimates by experts and international organizations agree that this year deforestation will exceed 10,000 square kilometers.
Taking care of the Amazon in Brazil is a global security issue due to the negative effects of destroying jungles and forests. It also acquires greater importance now that in that country the current president seeks reelection. Environmental groups are supporters of his opponent, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who won in the first round of the race, albeit by a smaller margin than predicted. And there are reasons for that support: during his government (2003-10) there was a notable decrease in deforestation in the Amazon. The same thing happened during the mandate of his successor, Dilma Rousseff, whom the Senate dismissed in a more political than legal process.
On October 30, Brazilians will have to elect their next president. By joining his candidacy those who ranked third and fourth in the first vote, it would be expected that Lula da Silva will win. But we must not forget how the country’s media apparatus, the military forces and the evangelical groups have a high convening power.
The Amazon is also part of Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana and Suriname. In all of them the devastation is equally worrying. Let’s add the fact that the least consulted by the governments for decision-making on that immense territory are the original peoples. Precisely the guardians of the biodiversity that distinguishes the green lung; those who have known how to handle it wisely and who have ancient cultures. It is well worth summarizing next Monday the most serious problems that have plagued them for a long time.
