Amazon Blazes Propel Brazil CO2 Emissions to Highest Since 2006
Amazon Blazes Propel Brazil CO2 Emissions to Highest Since 2006
(Bloomberg) -- Brazil’s carbon dioxide emissions soared last year due to greater deforestation in regions including the Amazon, dealing a fresh blow to President Jair Bolsonaro’s environmental credentials.
Emissions rose 9.5% versus 2019, according to a report published Thursday by Observatorio do Clima, a network of Brazilian environmental organizations. On the other hand, global emissions fell 7% due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The report may prompt fresh scrutiny of Brazil’s policies ahead of the COP26 global climate summit. In the past two years, Bolsonaro’s government has faced international outrage over increased deforestation in the Amazon, as well as other regions including the Cerrado and Pantanal wetlands.
Last year, Brazil produced the highest amount of tons of carbon dioxide since 2006, according to the report. The Environment Ministry didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
Observatorio do Clima’s figures place Brazil among the largest carbon dioxide emitters in the world, after China, U.S., Russia, India and the European Union. Deforestation, agriculture and livestock were responsible for 73% of the domestic gas emissions.
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