Brazil Increases Deforestation in 2020

Brazil is home to a large portion of the world’s tropical rainforests. The Brazilian Amazonia has been talked about many times in the news over the past few decades as environmentalists show concern for the forest’s health. Mining, logging, and agriculture have been the main drivers for these deforestation operations, but governmental actions have also created problems towards the Brazilian Amazonia. Brazil has a large income gap between poverty and rich, not many individuals lie in the middle. Many of the successful individuals in Brazil have occupations within these deforestation driving industries. Money is power in many economies, especially within underdeveloped countries. Underdeveloped countries, like Brazil, usually see higher rates of corruption within the government sector. Vice President Hamilton Mourao in 2020 was offered “funds from Europe, Asia, and South America that collectively manage nearly $4 billion”. (France-Presse) These countries sent an open letter to the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, to “stop projects that threaten to accelerate the destruction of the planet's largest rainforest”. This shows Brazil has international attention directly related to the deforestation operations and it is ultimately causing problems within foreign policy. 

The countries rapid increase in deforestation operations poses a threat to environmental tipping points worldwide, so these countries are willing to pay Brazil the difference associated to the potential losses from these industries. This shows how deforestation in Brazil is not only Brazils economic problem, but also the worlds environmental problem. According to the World Wildlife Fund, which is an environmental protection organization, Brazil has increased their deforestation by “33% more than last year”. (WWF) The World Wildlife Fund is a non-governmental organization, but it helps establish many of the wildlife/nature guidelines internationally. When they assess an environmental threat towards the imports of Brazil, many countries will listen.  

The increase of deforestation operations in Brazil has caused some of the major Brazilian markets to start failing. One of the markets includes agriculture, which is a major market in Brazil because of the warm, humid climate perfect for crops. Agriculture is a large portion of why areas become deforested in the Brazilian Amazonia. The soil is rich with nutrients and the lumber can sell for a small profit. With Brazil not being great at foreign policy, trade restrictions have started to emerge against them very recently. If COVID international shipping restrictions are the cause of this, then it shows that the Brazilian markets are not in high demand on a major level. The Brazilian economy is taking a huge plunge in 2020 with the pandemic restrictions.

According to World Bank charts, the Brazilian GDP was at an all time high in 2011 valued at 2.6 trillion US dollars. The latest charts, which gives data received from 2019, shows Brazils GDP has decreased tremendously since 2011 and is now valued at 1.8 trillion US dollars. After calculating this data, GDP in Brazil has experienced a 30% decrease. The damage to the economy was already taking place in Brazil, even before the COVID outbreak occurred. Now that many major exports are getting cut out of their GDP, you can assume Brazils economic future will be rough with a lengthy recovery.

Work Cited

France-Presse, Agence. “Brazil's Amazon Deforestation Increased By 25 Per Cent In 2020.” NDTV.com, NDTV, 10 July 2020, www.ndtv.com/world-news/brazils-amazon-deforestation-increased-by-25-per-cent-in-2020-2260679.

World Bank. “GDP (Current US$).” Data, 2019, data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?end=2019.

WWF. “Annual Deforestation Rate in the Brazilian Amazon Increases by 33%.” WWF, 7 Aug. 2020, wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?584271%2FAnnual-deforestation-rate-in-the-Brazilian-Amazon-increases-by-33.