Deforestation in the Amazon

Deforested area in the Yanomami Indigenous Territory, located in the Brazilian states of Roraima and Amazonas, in June 2021. © 2021 Gabriel Chaim

The Amazon Rainforest in Brazil and other neighboring South American countries is one of the most important forests in the world. Not only is it home to some of earth's most biodiversity, but the forest is important because of its oxygen production. It has been called the lungs of the earth for this very reason. The Amazon rainforest is also home to numerous indigenous tribes, whose lifestyle depends on the forest. A major problem that the amazon is facing, and has been facing for years, is deforestation.

On October 30th 2022 Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was elected President of Brazil. Part of his campaign was on protecting the Amazon including stopping deforestation and protecting indigenous uses of the rainforest. He restated these goals in his first public statement as president. While this is a positive step, the previous administration of Jair Bolsonaro did the exact opposite of what Lula has pledged to do. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW) under Bolsonaros administration, deforestation of the Amazon increased by 73% in 2021 in comparison with 2018. Additionally nearly 99% of the deforestation recorded in 2021 had some irregularity indicating the potential for it to be illegal. Another aspect of deforestation in the Amazon is the use of fires to clear landscape and prepare it for agricultural activities. These fires not only are involved with deforestation but release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which has effects on climate change as mentioned in other posts. 

While these issues may not have a clear direct connection to human rights, this is increasingly a human rights issue. According to HRW, “If this destruction continues, vast portions of the rainforest may dry out in coming years, releasing billions of tons of stored carbon, disturbing weather patterns across South America, and decimating agriculture”. Scientists have already started seeing some of these effects but if rates of deforestation are not slowed then they will continue to get worse and continue to increase contributions to the positive feedback loop cycles of climate change. There will continue to be an increase in extreme weather events such as droughts and floods, which have also been covered in other posts. This will ultimately impact the second generation rights of humans across the globe and is a stressor on first generation rights as well. On top of the issues of climate change, there are also rights violations to the indigenous groups of the region specifically. This includes destroying protected land and taking away the rights to property, and quality of life among other of the indigenous peoples of the area. Hopefully the new administration can keep to their goals and implement effective policy to protect the Amazon rainforest and therefore human rights.