Lula calls for 'agility' in combatting Amazon deforestation crime

Pallade Veneta - Lula calls for 'agility' in combatting Amazon deforestation crime

NATURE 18.06.2024

Lula calls for 'agility' in combatting Amazon deforestation crime / Photo: EVARISTO SA - AFP

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called for flexibility and speed in combatting criminal organizations that are deforesting the Amazon, as he signed a measure Monday to expand security in the region.

Change text size:

"Never before in the history of Brazil have people thought of taking such an extraordinary step to tend to the Amazon as now," Lula said as he signed the agreement in Brasilia granting 318 million reals ($58.7 million) to amplify state security there.

The tranche of money is part of a plan that was launched nearly a year ago with a total budget of 1.2 billion reals, which Lula said will require "agility" to succeed.

He additionally warned that if the initiative takes too long to implement, he won't be able to complete it before his mandate runs out at the end of 2026.

The initiative, officially called "Amazon Plan: Security and Sovereignty," is meant to reinforce equipment, such as boats and helicopters, in order to combat criminal organizations that cut down and burn the forest, which covers 6.3 million square kilometers (2.4 million square miles).

The plan also includes installation of an international police cooperation center in the city of Manaus in the heart of the Amazon, to be manned by intelligence officials from the South American countries whose land comprises the Amazon.

Money for the project comes from the Amazon Fund, an internationally financed initiative to protect the rainforest, particularly by Norway and Germany.

Despite recent gains in reducing deforestation, Marina Silva, Brazil's environment minister, warned that the global community still had its work cut out.

"If the world does not do its part by reducing CO2 emissions based on the use of fossil fuels, we will lose the Amazon anyway," Silva said.

Lula has promised to end illegal deforestation in Brazil by 2030.

N.Tartaglione--PV

US Buildings Threatened by Wildfires Could Triple by 2060

A new study published in Nature Communications projects that the number of buildings across the contiguous United States threatened by wildfires could almost triple by 2060. Researchers attribute this escalating risk to a combination of climate change, forest mismanagement, and continued development in fire-prone areas, warning that socioeconomically vulnerable communities face disproportionate dangers.

Researchers Warn 'Bookkeeping Trick' Masks Beef Industry's Methane Emissions

Two new analyses warn that a specialized accounting method known as GWP* enables major beef-producing countries to significantly understate their methane emissions. Researchers from Greenpeace and the University of California, Los Angeles, argue that this metric creates a misleading picture of climate progress, allowing nations to claim neutrality while actual warming continues.

Climate Change Intensified Atlantic Hurricanes, Study Finds

Human-caused climate change significantly intensified Atlantic hurricanes over the past five years, according to a new analysis by Climate Central. The study found that elevated sea surface temperatures increased maximum wind speeds for most storms between 2019 and 2023, as well as every recorded storm in the 2024 season.

UAE oil spill raises questions for desalination operations

An oil spill off the United Arab Emirates that has prompted temporary restrictions on fishing and on access to several beaches has raised concerns over the risk of environmental contamination and the potential impact on desalination plants. The spill is from a vessel that shipping sources have identified as crude oil tanker Gem No.