International

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon continues to decline and falls another 31% in the last year

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by 30.6% between August 2023 and July 2024, after another 22.3% in the previous period, the Government reported on Wednesday.

The area affected by the deforestation was 6,288 square kilometers, the lowest result in nine years and a reduction compared to the 9,001 square kilometers destroyed in the previous period, according to the most accurate measurement of deforestation released annually by the National Institute of Space Research.

Retreat in the felling in the Amazon

If the last two results are added, which mainly correspond to the mandate of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a 45.7% decline was recorded in looting and 7,900 square kilometers of jungle were saved.

In the Cerrado, as the rich tropical savannah located in central Brazil is known, deforestation was reduced by 25.7% in the last year and the area that was affected was 8,174 square kilometers.

This is the first fall after five years of increases in an ecosystem that lives under the constant pressure of the agricultural sector.

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With the reduction in looting in both the Amazon and in the Cerrado, the Executive estimates that in the last two years there has been a decrease in greenhouse emissions of 400 million tons of CO2 compared to the previous period.

Government hard hand

The Government attributed the fall in deforestation to the hard hand exercised in the application of environmental standards, with a 98% increase in sanctions and embargoes imposed by the Brazilian Institute of the Environment on offenders.

At the same time, in the last two years with Lula as president, indigenous lands were expanded by 8,100 square kilometers and conservation areas by 3,030 square kilometers.

These actions contrast with the lax environmental policy of former far-right Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), who opposed the creation of new indigenous reserves and natural parks and emptied the bodies responsible for the application of the rules.

The Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, pointed during the presentation of the results to the “immense effort” and the “integrated” work undertaken by federal authorities and security forces to combat deforestation.

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The Government also improved this year the resolution of satellite images used to monitor looting and incorporated radar technology, which allows tracking the territory when the sky is covered with clouds.

International

Marco Rubio warns Venezuela against military action against Guyana

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuela on Thursday that a military attack on Guyana would be “a big mistake” and “a very bad day for them,” expressing his support for Georgetown in its territorial dispute with Caracas.

“It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they attacked Guyana or ExxonMobil. It would be a very bad day, a very bad week for them, and it would not end well,” Rubio emphasized during a press conference in Georgetown alongside Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

International

Ecuador oil spill worsens as containment dam collapses

The collapse of a containment dam holding back part of the 25,000+ barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture nearly two weeks ago has worsened the environmental crisis in northwestern Ecuador, contaminating rivers and Pacific beaches.

The Ecuadorian government attributed the March 13 pipeline rupture—which led to the spill of 25,116 barrels of crude—to an act of sabotage. The spill affected three rivers and disrupted water supplies for several communities, according to authorities.

On Tuesday, due to heavy rains that have been falling since January, a containment dam on the Caple River collapsed. The Caple connects to other waterways in Esmeraldas Province, a coastal region bordering Colombia, state-owned Petroecuador said in a statement on Wednesday.

Seven containment barriers were installed in the Viche River, where crews worked to remove oil-contaminated debris. Additional absorbent materials were deployed in Caple, Viche, and Esmeraldas Rivers, which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities are also working to protect a wildlife refuge home to more than 250 species, including otters, howler monkeys, armadillos, frigatebirds, and pelicans.

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“This has been a total disaster,” said Ronald Ruiz, a leader in the Cube community, where the dam was located. He explained that the harsh winter rains caused river levels to rise, bringing debris that broke the containment barriersthat were holding the accumulated oil for extraction.

International

Federal court blocks Trump’s use of Enemy Alien Act for deportations

A federal appeals court upheld the block on former President Donald Trump’s use of the Enemy Alien Act on Wednesday, preventing him from using the law to expedite deportations of alleged members of the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua.

With a 2-1 ruling, a panel from the Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals affirmed previous decisions by two lower court judges, maintaining the legal standoff between the White House and the judiciary.

On March 14, Trump invoked the 1798 Enemy Alien Act, a law traditionally used during wartime, to deport hundreds of Venezuelans whom he accused of belonging to Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization that originated in Venezuelan prisons.

The centuries-old law grants the president the power to detain, restrict, and expel foreign nationals from a country engaged in a “declared war” or an “invasion or predatory incursion” against the United States, following a public proclamation.