Amazon deforestation down by a third in 2023, says Brazilian government
Brazil’s government has announced that deforestation in the Amazon fell by 33.6% in the first six months of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s term compared with the same period in 2022.
It suggests the rainforest shrank by 2,649 sq km this January-June, down from 3,988 sq km in those six months last year under President Bolsonaro.
Lula has pledged to end deforestation, or forest clearance, by 2030. But it’s a huge task to meet this target, as the area of rainforest still reported to be lost under his rule is more than three times the siz of New York City.
The Amazon rainforest is important in the global fight against climate change. The rainforest absorts about 25% of atmospheric carbon dioxide. It produced 6% of total oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere. The Amazon rainforest is often called the lungs of the planet.
