Brazil's government under President Jair Bolsonaro is proposing the smallest budget for environmental protection in at least 13 years despite soaring destruction of the country's Amazon rainforest, according to data from non-profit Contas Abertas.
Brazil's main environmental enforcement agency, Ibama, handed out 20% fewer fines in 2020, a Brazilian non-profit factchecking initiative says, as the government rolls back conservation efforts and Amazon deforestation skyrockets.
The number of fires in Brazil's Amazon rainforest jumped 28% in July from a year ago, official data shows, as some environmentalists warned a jump this week could signal a repeat of last year's surging destruction of the world's largest rainforest.
Eight former Brazilian environment ministers blasted new right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro and his administration in a letter on Wednesday, saying it is dismantling the country's environmental protections.
