Brazil Announces Plan to Slow Amazon Deforestation by 70%
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12. 2.08
photo: Leo Freitas
A few months ago Brazil announced that rates of deforestation in the Amazon increased 3.8% over the previous year and that it would be taking steps to crack down on illegal logging, land clearing (sometimes by burning) and illegal settlements. The country also established the Amazon Fund to solicit international monetary donations to help fund anti-deforestation efforts.
Now Brazil has announced that it has a plan to reduce deforestation by 70%, or about 6,000 square kilometers per year. According to Environment Minister Carlos Minc the plan would have the following effect:
Just in terms of avoided deforestation in the Amazon, the plan foresees a reduction of 4.8bn tons of carbon dioxide that won't be emitted up to 2018 - which is more than the reduction efforts fixed by all the rich countries. (BBC)
Slowing Deforestation Isn’t Enough, It’s Got to Stop
First of all, good on Brazil for doing something to slow deforestation, but the way in which its being presented is misleading at first read: Under this plan deforestation will still be happening, just at a slower rate. Large swaths of forest will still be felled each year.
The original BBC article also quoted a Brazilian Greenpeace representative, who summed up well Brazil’s actions:
The biggest Brazilian contribution to the fight against climate change is to bring deforestation to an end in the Amazon. In adopting timid targets the government is showing that it is going in the right direction, but at the wrong speed, because the problem requires urgent solutions.
via: BBC News
Amazon Deforestation
Camarada, Can You Spare a Few Dollars For The Amazon? Brazil Establishes Forest Fund
Amazon Deforestation Grows in August, Brazil Says Could Stop in 2015
Amazon Deforestation Slows Last Year, but 8,147 Square Kilometers Still Chopped Down
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About time - but do you really thinkg this will actually happen? Having watched a lot of programmes regardign this - they have a very difficlut time in catching and getting the illegal loggers to prison - too many loopholes. We shall see....
Haha, you have to hand it to Brazil. They have guts saying that they're going to stop more pollution than the rest of the world by theoretically reducing logging in the future.
Oh and they set up a government fund that you can give money to and they will use that money to stop logging somehow. Don't think about that too hard!
Logging is not the main cause of deforestation here in Brazil. They destroy the forest mostly for the expansion of livestock farms, and these cattle barons are the worst enemies we have to tackle.
The cattle business is pretty damn powerful over here, and a lot of the involved politicians are part of it.
so Brazil's going to cut development by 70% as well. this is good news but hard to believe since gangsters set the countries economic style. there'd have to be some exchange of pillaging territory & it doesn't appear to exist.
well that's finally some great news, its sad to constantly see multinationals and stuff like that ruin natural habitats, cause pollution, remove trees, clear cut and all that sort of stuff. good stuff here.
""Just in terms of avoided deforestation in the Amazon, the plan foresees a reduction of 4.8bn tons of carbon dioxide that won't be emitted up to 2018 - which is more than the reduction efforts fixed by all the rich countries." - Brazil Environment Minister Carlos Minc" ... I would applaud their preemptive efforts, and I would hope that the other countries in the world would appropriately reciprocate based on the Kyoto protocols carbon credits ...
@Lucas:
Thanks for that info. Here's more:
http://www.mongabay.com/external/brazil_beef_amazon.htm
I propose a new environmentalist motto: "Don't eat Brazilian beef"
This can only be good news