International

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon continues to decline and falls another 31% in the last year

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by 30.6% between August 2023 and July 2024, after another 22.3% in the previous period, the Government reported on Wednesday.

The area affected by the deforestation was 6,288 square kilometers, the lowest result in nine years and a reduction compared to the 9,001 square kilometers destroyed in the previous period, according to the most accurate measurement of deforestation released annually by the National Institute of Space Research.

Retreat in the felling in the Amazon

If the last two results are added, which mainly correspond to the mandate of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a 45.7% decline was recorded in looting and 7,900 square kilometers of jungle were saved.

In the Cerrado, as the rich tropical savannah located in central Brazil is known, deforestation was reduced by 25.7% in the last year and the area that was affected was 8,174 square kilometers.

This is the first fall after five years of increases in an ecosystem that lives under the constant pressure of the agricultural sector.

20250701_dengue_728x90

20250901_vacunacion_vsr-728x90

20250901_minsal_tetra_-728x90

20250701_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250701_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20250715_donacion_sangre_central_728x90

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

With the reduction in looting in both the Amazon and in the Cerrado, the Executive estimates that in the last two years there has been a decrease in greenhouse emissions of 400 million tons of CO2 compared to the previous period.

Government hard hand

The Government attributed the fall in deforestation to the hard hand exercised in the application of environmental standards, with a 98% increase in sanctions and embargoes imposed by the Brazilian Institute of the Environment on offenders.

At the same time, in the last two years with Lula as president, indigenous lands were expanded by 8,100 square kilometers and conservation areas by 3,030 square kilometers.

These actions contrast with the lax environmental policy of former far-right Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), who opposed the creation of new indigenous reserves and natural parks and emptied the bodies responsible for the application of the rules.

The Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, pointed during the presentation of the results to the “immense effort” and the “integrated” work undertaken by federal authorities and security forces to combat deforestation.

20250701_dengue_728x90

20250901_vacunacion_vsr-728x90

20250901_minsal_tetra_-728x90

20250701_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250701_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20250715_donacion_sangre_central_728x90

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

The Government also improved this year the resolution of satellite images used to monitor looting and incorporated radar technology, which allows tracking the territory when the sky is covered with clouds.

International

Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids

Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.

The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.

In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.

He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”

The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.

20250701_dengue_728x90

20250901_vacunacion_vsr-728x90

20250901_minsal_tetra_-728x90

20250701_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250701_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20250715_donacion_sangre_central_728x90

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.

International

Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win

Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.

“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.

In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”

International

Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains

Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.

The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.

“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”

Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.