Jul 8, 2022 - Energy & Climate

Amazon deforestation hits record high

Shawna Chen

Photo of large tree trunks in a deforested area — Officials from Para State, northern Brazil, inspect a deforested area in the Amazon rainforest during surveillance in the municipality of Pacaja on Sept. 22, 2021. Photo: Evaristo Sa/AFP via Getty Images

New data from the Brazilian Space Agency shows that deforestation in the Amazon has hit an all-time high, the Washington Post reports.

Why it matters: The largest and most biodiverse rainforest on the planet has in recent years faced rapid deforestation, which reached a 15-year high last November after it soared 22% in one year.

Details: The Amazon, which plays an essential role in slowing global warming, lost over 3,900 square kilometers — five times the size of New York City — of its forest in the first six months of 2022.

The Brazilian Space Agency also reported earlier this month that the Amazon hit a new record for rainforest fires in June — the highest level since 2007.

The big picture: Indigenous people in Brazil have called for a halt to deforestation for years, placing blame at far-right President Jair Bolsonaro's feet.

Some scientists have said the Amazon could lose 20%-25% of its forest in the next decade and reach a point of no return, per the Post.

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Amazon deforestation hits record high

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