Amazon Deforestation Speeds Up Once More

Amazon deforestation from above

When we recently dared to be optimistic about news that destruction of the Amazon may be slowing down, our commenters were quick to step in an suggest the need for more scepticism about official figures. Sadly, it seems they may have been right. New satellite imagery released by the Brazillian government reveals an unprecedented increase in the rate of deforestation:

"Never before have we detected such a high deforestation rate at this time of year," said Gilberto Câmara, the head of the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), which is responsible for monitoring the Amazon region. "We had never seen this before in Amazonia."

And the biggest culprit in this sudden jump in logging? It seems it is the same-old villain - cattle ranching and soy farming (for cattle feed). So while all of us can do our bit by purchasing only FSC certified wood products, we would also do well to green our meals by adopting a low meat, no meat, or good meat diet. ::The Guardian::via site visit::