By Brayden Yin

Under the Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, the loss of the Amazon Rainforest has been highest in 12 years. The reason that the Amazon Rainforest is being destroyed is deforestation. Deforestation is when trees are either burned or cut down. Deforestation is bad in general, but in this region, it is critical.

The Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world. It covers about 2.1 million sq miles of land, and 60% of the rainforest is in Brazil.

The Amazon is nicknamed: “The lungs of the planet”. This is because the rainforest takes carbon dioxide out of the air, and turns it into oxygen.

President Bolsonaro, on the other hand, thinks that the Amazon Rainforest is a good source for business. He thinks gold mining and wood can be taken from the rainforest, and land can be cleared for farmland.

This year, the loss of the rainforest is even higher than last year. Over 4.280 square miles have been destroyed. That area is even bigger than the biggest island in Hawaii.

The Vice President, Hamilton Mourao, said that the news wasn’t good, but had a point that the loss of rainforest has slowed.

Many international leaders are frustrated by the decimation of the Amazon. The French President Emmanuel Macron and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel all agree that the Amazon should be saved.

If Bolsonaro is voted out of office, the destruction of the Amazon will decline.

Sources:

https://newsforkids.net/articles/2020/12/02/loss-of-amazon-rainforest-highest-in-12-years/