Despite outrage over fires, Brazil allows sugar cane farming in Amazon
By Tatiana Freitas
November 7, 2019 — 4.37pm
Sao Paulo: Brazil has faced international outrage over fires in the Amazon. Rather than shrinking from the scrutiny, President Jair Bolsonaro decided to make yet another controversial move by allowing for the expansion of sugar farming in the planet's biggest rainforest.
Bolsonaro annulled a 10-year-old regulation that had banned the expansion of sugar-cane planted in the Amazon as well as a wetland savanna called as Pantanal and indigenous and reforested areas, according to a resolution published in the country's official gazette on Wednesday, local time.
The scrapped sugar regulation allowed only sustainable expansion and had helped Brazilian ethanol, mostly made from cane, to be globally recognised as a fuel with high sustainability standards. The South American nation is the world's top sugar producer and exporter and is a major player in the biofuels space.
The move comes after backlash over the Amazon forest fires started flaring in August. Bolsonaro has dismissed the fires after pledges of slashing deforestation restrictions, and US President Donald Trump tweeted his support for the leader.
Fires also in the country's Pantanal wetlands have ripped through the biodiverse region, consuming an area the size of London in just the past 10 days, burning some animals alive and sending others fleeing.
More:
https://www.smh.com.au/world/south-america/despite-outrage-over-fires-brazil-allows-sugar-cane-farming-in-amazon-20191107-p538fv.html
This article has also been posted in Environment and energy:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1127133438
Pantanal, the world's largest wetland.
Giant otters.
So the greedy fascists are destroying this irreplaceable, vital part of the world to make themselves wealthier. Is there anyone sane who will decide to step forward to stop these monsters?
