Humans have degraded or destroyed roughly two-thirds of the world's original tropical rainforest cover, new data reveals – raising alarm that a key natural buffer against climate change is quickly vanishing.
An area the size of Israel was deforested in the Amazon biome last year as destruction surged 21% in the region spanning nine countries that is home to the world's largest rainforest, according to the Amazon Conservation organization.
President Jair Bolsonaro says Brazil is being "disproportionately" criticized for fires in the Amazon rainforest and Pantanal wetlands, at a time when many places around the world were seeing a surge in blazes.
