1 month ago
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By Jake Spring
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rose in July, breaking a 15-month streak of falling destruction under President Luiz Inacio da Silva, preliminary government data show, amid a strike by environmental workers.
Roughly 572 square km of jungle were cleared in the first 26 days of July, already 14% higher than the 500 square km in the whole of July last year, according to preliminary data from government space research agency Inpe released on Friday.
The Environment Ministry and Science Ministry were to hold a joint press conference later on Wednesday to announce the Inpe data for the full month of July.
Despite the increase, Amazon deforestation levels are still far lower under Lula than his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.
Amazon deforestation in July 2022, the last year under Bolsonaro, were nearly three times as high as the partial data for July 2024.
Amazon deforestation last increased in February and March 2023, shortly after Lula took office.
The rise is in part due to an environment workers' strike that began in June, that has drastically curtailed the enforcement of laws against deforestation, said Wallace Lopes, a leader with environmental workers union Ascema.
"The strike has definitely impacted the increase in the (deforestation) data," said Lopes.
The strike involves both the main federal environmental enforcement agency Ibama and the parks service Icmbio.
When contacted by Reuters for a comment, Lula's office did not immediately respond. The Environment Ministry will not comment on the preliminary data prior to the press conference, a spokesperson said.
Lula took office in January 2023 on a pledge to end deforestation by 2030 after soaring levels of destruction under Bolsonaro. That commitment is the centerpiece of his bid to restore Brazil's climate credentials, as the Amazon absorbs vast amounts of greenhouse gas.
The data comes as Brazil's Amazon rainforest has struggled with numerous fires, amid a drought in the region fanned by climate change. The fire season typically peaks in August and September.
Firefighting efforts were not being affected by the strikes carried out by environment workers.
(Reporting by Jake Spring; Editing by Ana Nicolaci)
