Brazil deforestation hits new low in Amazon
INPE said 1,295 square kilometers were cleared in the first half, a 38% drop from 2025 and the lowest level since 2016.
- On Friday, the National Institute for Space Research reported that Amazon deforestation fell to a decade low in the first half of 2026, with 500 square miles cleared—a 38 percent drop from last year.
- President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pledged to eradicate illegal deforestation by 2030 after taking office, reversing trends from 2022 when destruction peaked under predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, who advocated for mining and land development.
- The government also reported decreased deforestation in the Cerrado, a vast biodiverse savanna south of the Amazon, which plays a key role in regulating climate and storing carbon.
- Despite the gains, environmentalists criticized the administration for authorizing oil exploration near the Amazon River, while Lula faces an October election against Flavio Bolsonaro, who pushed for increased land development in Belem.
- The left-wing president navigates complex tensions with United States President Donald Trump, a supporter of Bolsonaro, as Brazil continues efforts to meet 2030 sustainability goals amid shifting geopolitical pressures.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon in the first half of the year reached its lowest level in a decade, according to official figures published on Friday.
Satellites detected 1,295 km2 of deforestation alert in the first six months of 2026, the lowest value since the beginning of the historical series of Inpe, in 2016.
Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell to its lowest level in the last decade during the first half of the year, according to official figures released on Friday. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has promised to eradicate illegal deforestation by 2030 as part of his campaign for re-election in next October’s elections. Between January and June, trees were cut off on an area of 1,295 square kilometers – an area nearly twice the size of New…
Radio France Internationale
Brazil deforestation hits new low in Amazon
Lula wants to show a good environmental balance within three months of the elections in which he hopes to obtain a fourth term, after a first stage in the presidency from 2003 to 2010.
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