Brazil fires drive acceleration in Amazon deforestation
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pledged to protect the Amazon rainforest. (AP pic)
SAO PAULO : A record fire season in Brazil last year caused the rate of deforestation to accelerate, in a blow to president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's pledge to protect the Amazon rainforest, official figures showed Friday.
The figures released by the national institute for space research (INPE), which tracks forest cover by satellite, indicated that deforestation rate between August 2024 and May 2025 rose by 9.1% compared to the same period in 2023-2024.
And they showed a staggering 92% increase in Amazon deforestation in May, compared to the year-ago period.
That development risks erasing the gains made by Brazil in 2024, when deforestation slowed in all of its ecological biomes for the first time in six years.
The report showed that beyond the Amazon, the picture was less alarming in other biomes across Brazil, host of this year's UN climate change conference.
In the Pantanal wetlands, for instance, deforestation between August 2024 and May 2025 fell by 77% compared to the same period in 2023-2024.
Presenting the findings, the environment ministry's executive secretary Joao Paulo Capobianco chiefly blamed the record number of fires that swept Brazil and other South American countries last year, whipped up by a severe drought.
Many of the fires were started to clear land for crops or cattle and then raged out of control.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Free Malaysia Today
RimbaWatch urges govt to set fair-share carbon budget
RimbaWatch noted Malaysia's commitment to extracting 9.83 billion barrels of oil equivalent in fossil fuel reserves, 82% of which is gas. (Wikipedia pic) PETALING JAYA : Environmental watchdog RimbaWatch has urged the government to define a national carbon budget aligned with Malaysia's fair-share contribution to climate change in order to meet its net-zero emissions target by 2050. In its Fossil Fuel Emissions Outlook Report 2025, RimbaWatch urged the natural resources and environmental sustainability ministry to develop a carbon budget aligned with the 1.5°C target and Malaysia's 2050 net-zero commitment, and to ensure that it reflects the country's historical emissions responsibility and share of the global population. 'This carbon budget should then inform a sectoral carbon budget for the domestic energy sector,' RimbaWatch said, calling for the framework to be embedded in the proposed climate change bill. The report warned that Malaysia's current plans to expand gas production are incompatible with its climate targets under the Paris Agreement, and could derail progress toward net-zero goals. RimbaWatch said the country had committed to extracting 9.83 billion barrels of oil equivalent in fossil fuel reserves, of which 82% is gas. The emissions from these projects could total 4.15 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to 13 times Malaysia's annual emissions. The report also estimated that the projects would emit 10.9 million tonnes of methane, a greenhouse gas 82.5 times more potent than carbon dioxide, over a 20-year period, 'leading to an estimated 8,234 premature deaths worldwide' due to pollution-related health impacts. To address this, RimbaWatch called for the Climate Change Act to include interim targets. 'Establish gradually reducing carbon budgets for the sector with milestone targets of a 25% reduction in budget by 2030, 50% by 2040, 75% by 2045 and 100% by 2050,' it said. The group also urged Malaysia to join the global call for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, describing it as a way to accelerate and finance a just transition to renewable energy sources, end fossil fuel expansion, and support an equitable phase out of existing production. 'The proposed treaty rests on three pillars with one being a global just transition for every country, worker and community, the non-proliferation of fossil fuel projects, and a fair phaseout based on the capacity and responsibility of wealthier nations. 'The health burden associated with Malaysia's methane emissions is both significant and global in scale,' the report concluded.
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Indonesia revokes most mining permits in dive hotspot after outcry
Indonesia's minister of energy and mineral resources Bahlil Lahadalia denied that the area surrounding the mining activities had been harmed. (AFP pic) JAKARTA : Indonesia revoked permits today for four of the five mining companies operating in the eastern archipelago of Raja Ampat after activists shared videos of islands damaged by nickel extraction. The cluster of islands and shoals in Southwest Papua Province sits in the Coral Triangle and is thought to be one of the world's most pristine reefs, with its clear blue waters making it a popular diving spot. Indonesia has the world's largest nickel reserves and is the biggest producer of the metal, which is used in electric vehicle batteries and stainless steel, and a 2020 export ban has spurred a domestic industrial boom. Last week, Greenpeace Indonesia published videos showing environmental damage to three islands because of nickel mining projects, including one clip which racked up more than 15 million Instagram views. President Prabowo Subianto 'decided that the government will revoke the mining business licence of four companies in Raja Ampat', state secretariat minister Prasetyo Hadi told reporters. Energy and mineral resources minister Bahlil Lahadalia said 'they have violated' regulations. 'We believe this region must be protected,' he said. Greenpeace said nickel exploitation on the islands of Gag, Kawe and Manuran had led to the destruction of more than 1,200 acres of forest and vegetation. Environmentalists say coral reefs and marine life are threatened by the operations, but Bahlil denied the surrounding environment had been harmed. 'If people say the coral reefs and the ocean have been damaged, you can see for yourself. Please be careful to differentiate which one is real and which one is not,' he said. The NGO's campaign led to growing calls by politicians and celebrities for the licences to be withdrawn. The four companies impacted by the immediate ban are PT Anugerah Surya Pratama, PT Nurham, PT Kawei Sejahtera Mining and PT Mulia Raymond Perkasa. PT Nurham received its mining permits this year and has not started production but the other three have had them since 2013, according to the energy ministry. One more company – PT Gag Nikel – will continue to operate on Raja Ampat's Gag island but be closely monitored, said Bahlil. It received its operational permit in 2017. The three affected islands are categorised as small islands that under Indonesian law should be off-limits to mining, Greenpeace said. Greenpeace Indonesia said the decision was a good start but the government needed to take further action. 'We appreciate this decision but we need to make sure the decision will be implemented. We need to make sure they stop,' forest campaign team leader Arie Rompas said. He warned the government could reissue the permits later or the companies could appeal the decision in court. The activist said the government should also revoke the operating permit for the fifth company. A report last week by Climate Rights International alleged the Indonesian government was allowing environmental damage and violations against Indigenous people to go unchecked by nickel mining firms in the eastern Maluku islands. Processing and mining operations have grown there around Weda Bay, the world's largest nickel mine by production, but have led to locals reporting a spike in air pollution from smelters and rivers polluted by nickel tailings in soil carried by rain. An AFP report last month detailed how the home of the nomadic Hongana Manyawa tribe was being eaten away by that mine, with members issuing a call for nickel companies to leave their tribal lands alone.
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Malay Mail
Indonesia pulls mining permits in Raja Ampat after viral outcry over nickel damage
JAKARTA, June 10 — Indonesia revoked permits on Tuesday for four of the five mining companies operating in the eastern archipelago of Raja Ampat after activists shared videos of islands damaged by nickel extraction. The cluster of islands and shoals in South-west Papua Province sits in the Coral Triangle and is thought to be one of the world's most pristine reefs, with its clear blue waters making it a popular diving spot. Indonesia has the world's largest nickel reserves and is the biggest producer of the metal, which is used in electric vehicle batteries and stainless steel, and a 2020 export ban has spurred a domestic industrial boom. Last week, Greenpeace Indonesia published videos showing environmental damage to three islands because of nickel mining projects, including one clip which racked up more than 15 million Instagram views. President Prabowo Subianto 'decided that the government will revoke the mining business licence of four companies in Raja Ampat', state secretariat minister Prasetyo Hadi told reporters. Energy and mineral resources minister Bahlil Lahadalia said 'they have violated' regulations. 'We believe this region must be protected,' he said. Greenpeace said nickel exploitation on the islands of Gag, Kawe and Manuran had led to the destruction of more than 500 hectares of forest and vegetation. Environmentalists say coral reefs and marine life are threatened by the operations, but Bahlil denied the surrounding environment had been harmed. 'If people say the coral reefs and the ocean have been damaged, you can see for yourself. Please be careful to differentiate which one is real and which one is not,' he said. 'Make sure they stop' The NGO's campaign led to growing calls by politicians and celebrities for the licences to be withdrawn. The four companies impacted by the immediate ban are PT Anugerah Surya Pratama, PT Nurham, PT Kawei Sejahtera Mining and PT Mulia Raymond Perkasa. PT Nurham received its mining permits this year and has not started production but the other three have had them since 2013, according to the energy ministry. One more company — PT Gag Nikel — will continue to operate on Raja Ampat's Gag island but be closely monitored, said Bahlil. It received its operational permit in 2017. The three affected islands are categorised as small islands that under Indonesian law should be off-limits to mining, Greenpeace said. Greenpeace Indonesia said the decision was a good start but the government needed to take further action. 'We appreciate this decision but we need to make sure the decision will be implemented. We need to make sure they stop,' forest campaign team leader Arie Rompas said. He warned the government could reissue the permits later or the companies could appeal the decision in court. The activist said the government should also revoke the operating permit for the fifth company. A report last week by Climate Rights International alleged the Indonesian government was allowing environmental damage and violations against Indigenous people to go unchecked by nickel mining firms in the eastern Maluku islands. Processing and mining operations have grown there around Weda Bay, the world's largest nickel mine by production, but have led to locals reporting a spike in air pollution from smelters and rivers polluted by nickel tailings in soil carried by rain. An AFP report last month detailed how the home of the nomadic Hongana Manyawa tribe was being eaten away by that mine, with members issuing a call for nickel companies to leave their tribal lands alone. — AFP
