According to a recent study, the Amazon forest’s carbon emissions took a dramatic leap under former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro‘s administration, Reuters reported.
The study was conducted by the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE). It revealed that carbon emissions in the Amazon surged in 2019 and 2020 compared to the prior decade due to lax enforcement of environmental protective measures.
In 2019, the forest’s carbon emissions were recorded at 0.44 billion metric tons and 0.52 billion metric tons in 2020. This was a significant increase from the annual average of 0.24 billion metric tons between 2010-2018, as per the study.
The study credits the rise mainly to escalated deforestation, as shared by the study’s lead researcher, Luciana Gatti.
In 2020, deforestation in Amazon reached a 12-year annual peak, with 2.7 million acres destroyed. The study also found that fines for illegal deforestation in the Amazon were halved in 2020 compared to records from 2010 to 2018.
However, recent data from INPE suggests a positive trend, with deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon dropping in July to the lowest monthly level since 2017.
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