Brazil has 60% of the Amazon rainforest within its borders. Its far-right president has sabotaged years of work by environmentalists and indigenous activists, fanning the flames of destruction by illegal loggers, miners and cattle ranchers. COVID-19 may have speeded this up in recent months as law enforcement efforts have been hobbled by the pandemic. An estimated 464 square miles of Amazon tree cover was slashed from January to April, a 55% increase from the same period in 2019 (an area roughly 20 times the size of Manhattan). Already last year, deforestation had reached levels not seen since 2008. The rainforest could become a carbon emitter in the mid-2030s.
www.moneycontrol.com/news/environment/amazon-deforestation-soars-as-coronavirus-pandemic-hobbles-enforcement-5369861.html
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/05/the-guardian-view-on-brazil-and-the-amazon-dont-look-away