The "Lungs of the Planet" are rapidly collapsing [View all]

[Jeffersons Ghost]

Brazil's New Government May Be Less Likely To Protect the Amazon, Critics Say
May 22, 2016
Dom Phillips and Nick Miroff
Washington Post

Signs of a rightward turn by Brazil's new government have alarmed conservationists and climate-change activists, who fear a rollback of environmental laws that could accelerate deforestation in the Amazon basin.

With Brazil's economy in its worst slump since the 1930s, new leader Michel Temer took power this month promising a more business-friendly agenda to spur growth. Temer named a conservative-leaning cabinet whose members include figures with close ties to powerful landowners and agribusiness companies.

Temer takes control of South America's largest nation – and the world's biggest rain forest – at a time when Brazilian lawmakers are considering a major overhaul of environmental laws. This includes a controversial constitutional amendment known as PEC 65 that would reduce licensing requirements for development projects and limit judicial oversight of their impact.

The amendment has been stalled, but it won a key Senate commission vote last month, where it was sponsored by Senator Blairo Maggi, a farming tycoon nicknamed the "King of Soy." Temer has made Maggi the country's agriculture minister, a powerful post in the world's second-largest food exporter, giving him significant leverage to promote the amendment. http://amazonwatch.org/news/2016/0522-brazils-new-government-may-be-less-likely-to-protect-the-amazon-critics-say

What Brazil’s New President Means For Its Environmental Laws

As it is now customary in multiple countries, Brazil requires environmental assessments prior to construction projects. But the Senate is now considering a bill that would give fast-track status to projects like roads, dams or ports deemed in the national interest by the president. That would allow developers to move forward simply by saying an environmental impact study is in the works, but bar agencies from halting the project once construction begins. Moreover, there is a proposed constitutional amendment to eliminate environmental licensing altogether...

For environmentalists, these proposals are ludicrous, as Brazil is still grappling with the aftermath of the collapse of an iron ore dam that caused the largest environmental disaster in Brazilian history. https://thinkprogress.org/what-brazils-new-president-means-for-its-environmental-laws-1e950f258269#.s30n8p27n

Many scientist call the Amazon River Basin the Lungs of the Planet.

Amazon: Lungs of the planet

The Amazon in South America is the largest, most diverse tropical rainforest on Earth, covering an area of five and a half million square kilometres (2.1 million sq mi).

It accounts for more than half of the planet’s remaining rainforest and is home to more than half the world's species of plants and animals.

But over the last 40 years, this great verdant tract has been increasingly threatened by deforestation. Clearing of the forest began in the 1960s and reached a peak in the 90s when an area the size of Spain was cleared, primarily to make space for cattle and soybean production.

But the soil exposed by this clearing is only productive for a short period of time, meaning that farmers must continue to clear more land to keep their businesses viable. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130226-amazon-lungs-of-the-planet