2022 Year in Review

2022 saw the Amazon in Latin
America once again devastated by
ongoing illegal deforestation and
human-caused fires, with the region
also suffering from deadly hurricanes
and landslides. These environmental
destructions caused by climate
change and illegal human activity
have resulted in a number of regional
conservation and development
issues. The ongoing exploitation of
nature prioritising economic interests
increasingly puts the region and the
world at risk of losing unique
archaeological heritage, indigenous
communities, and the Amazon's
unique biodiversity.
The Brazilian election reflected
concerns surrounding destruction
and losses in the Amazon, which
when coupled with significant sociopolitical
upheaval, illuminated the
dire need for political change and an
affirmation of political will to reduce
the ongoing harm done to the
Amazon rainforest. With Lula de Silva
- Brazil's recently re-elected President
- promising to protect the Amazon
rainforest, accountability has been
demanded, hoping that some of the
irreversible harm done to the
Amazon may be reduced.
THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON
The Brazilian Amazon, which holds
60% of the Amazon basin,
is home to many of Brazil's
indigenous communities and over 3
million species of flora and fauna.
This region is also critical to the
global fight against climate change
and has suffered greatly in the
months leading up to the Brazilian
election.
Deforestation rates were at their
highest since 2009, notably increasing
in the last months of Bolsonaro's
Presidency due to the prospect of his
election defeat in October. In October
alone, the highest clearing per month
occurred since tracking began in
2015, with approximately 904 sq km
being cleared.
This significant amount of
deforestation was possible due to the
reduction of the punitive powers of
Brazil's environmental protection
agencies under Bolsonaro's
Presidency. Bolsonaro, who
unofficially supported deforestation,
repeatedly demonstrated his
ignorance towards illegal logging and
forest burning.
As well as calling for more farming
and mining in the Amazon region,
resulting in deforestation soaring to a
15-year-high during his Presidency,
he simultaneously defended his
policies as "balancing environmental
protection with fair and sustainable
economic growth."
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