Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon skyrockets to 12-year high under Bolsonaro

Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest surged to a 12-year high in 2020, official government data showed on Monday, with destruction soaring since President Jair Bolsonaro took office and weakened environmental enforcement.

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In 2020, destruction of the world’s largest rainforest rose 9.5 percent from a year earlier to 11,088 square kilometers (2.7 million acres), according to data from Brazil’s national space research agency Inpe.

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