Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro whose environmental policies are widely criticised has now cam out and accused his own country’s national space institute of lying about the scale of deforestation in the Amazon.
Sadly this is becoming an increasingly common sight in Brazil under the New President.
Image Richard Whitcombe/Shutterstock
In what will be seen as a dangerous step further to the far-right president said he wants to discuss the issue with the heads of the institute as it is damaging Brazils international reputation. In response the National Space Research Institute (Inpe) says its data is 95% accurate and preliminary satellite data indicates that more than 1,000 sq km (400 sq miles) of the rainforest had been cleared in the first 15 days of July this is 68% more than was lost in the entire month in 2018 which was before he came to power on the back of policies that favour development over conservation.
The Brazilian Academy of Sciences has voiced its support for the Inpe data and indications are that the Amazon is currently losing an area the size of a football pitch every minute to deforestation, mainly to provide Cattle grazing.
1440 Football pitch size areas of the Amazon are disappearing every day.
Image f4 Luftbilder/Shutterstock
Whether President Bolsonaro is delusional or complicit is debatable however previous governments had managed to reduce deforestation via a system of rigorously enforced fines for environmental crimes, something Mr Bolsonaro has criticised and since he took power convictions for environmental crimes has shown a dramatic fall. Everything points to the latter and a crackdown on the freedom of reporting will do less to improve his countries image than telling the truth will.
