Deforestation in Brazil

In Brazil, the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest is a very big issue. In this report I will explain the connections of the deforestation to the Brazilian environment and economic development, and for extra reference I will relate these to the included map. The deforestation of the Amazon seems to be necessary to economic development in Brazil. Along with this, sadly the Amazon rainforest is being demolished at a alarming rate and it is causing major environmental issues including loss of bio-diversity, decreased hardwoods, world climate change and many others. To the indigenous people, the Amazon is a source of incalculable water, carbon sequestering, and it is very bio-diverse. When it is being deforested then all of the resources that it provides get smaller and smaller until there is eventually going to be nothing left. An article in National Geographic states “During the past 40 years, close to 20 percent of the Amazon rain forest has been cut down, more than in all the previous 450 years since European colonization began. (Wallace) ” This fact, along with the shown deforestation on the included map should help you realize the mass of rainforest that is being cut down. Deforestation comes with a price though, the environment. Brazil is loosing precious hardwoods, bio-diversity and soil everyday but the largest problem continues to be carbon emissions. “Deforestation, a critical contributor to climate change, effectively accounts for 20 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions and 70 percent of the emissions in Brazil. Halting new deforestation, experts say, is as powerful a way to combat warming as closing the world’s coal plants. (New York Times, 2009)” Brazil's environment is being destroyed by deforestation and the global environment is being effected just as bad. If you look at the checkered areas on the map you will see the parts of the Amazon that are already deforested and no longer there, the spotted areas are old deforestation hot