Number of Brazil Amazon Fires Hits Five-Year High in August
TimeNov 25, 2022
The Facts
According to satellite data from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), there were 193 sq miles (500 sq km) of deforestation in the nation's Amazon rainforest last July, down 66% from that month last year and its lowest level in six years.
Compared to his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, who promoted mining indigenous lands while cutting resources to protect forests, newly elected Pres. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva welcomed the news. Lula has pledged to end deforestation by 2030.
The Spin
Narrative A
The new data, especially as it coincides with Lula's presidency, is a cause for optimism. Even despite the horrific environment Bolsonaro left him, the environmental policy success of Lula's government proves that the world can reverse deforestation if it has the will to do so. Every leader facing environmental issues now has a blueprint for success, and it's time for them to study and replicate it.
Narrative B
While Amazonian deforestation should be combatted, claims of its importance to oxygen production have been greatly exaggerated. As for the global crisis, there has actually been a net gain of 865K sq miles (2.2K sq km) of reforestation around the world over the past 35+ years. While countries like Brazil should work to protect their rainforest, left-leaning policies shouldn't overreact and risk destroying economic opportunity for the 30M people who live in that region.