The Amazon Under Fire

At more than 2.1 million square miles, the Amazon stretches across parts of nine South American countries, but the bulk of it is in Brazil. Home to 2.5 million different kinds of insects and 20 percent of the world’s bird species, the Amazon has huge ecological significance (see “Why the Amazon Matters,” below). Beyond that, the rainforest plays a critical role in soaking up carbon dioxide and mitigating climate change: The Amazon’s plant life stores around 100 billion tons of carbon. For these reasons, the Amazon’s destruction has global implications.

Bolsonaro has long treated conservation efforts with disdain. He once said that Brazil’s environmental policy was “suffocating the country.” He vowed on the campaign trail that not “a square centimeter” of land would be designated for Brazil’s indigenous people. And in November he dismissed his own country’s official data about deforestation.

His attitude has had a big impact on the Amazon frontier, where the rainforest is being steadily transformed into land for cattle, soybeans, and other crops in a process that can be murky, sometimes illegal, and frequently violent.

The Amazon covers more than 2.1 million square miles of land. It stretches across parts of nine South American countries, but the bulk of it is in Brazil. The Amazon is also home to 2.5 million different kinds of insects and 20 percent of the world’s bird species. That’s why it has huge ecological significance (see “Why the Amazon Matters,” below). Beyond that, the rainforest plays a critical role in soaking up carbon dioxide and mitigating climate change. In fact, the Amazon’s plant life stores around 100 billion tons of carbon. For these reasons, the Amazon’s destruction has global implications.

Bolsonaro has long treated conservation efforts with disdain. He once said that Brazil’s environmental policy was “suffocating the country.” He vowed on the campaign trail that not “a square centimeter” of land would be designated for Brazil’s indigenous people. And in November he dismissed his own country’s official data about deforestation.

His attitude has had a big impact on the Amazon frontier. The rainforest continues to be turned into land for cattle, soybeans, and other crops. This process can be murky, sometimes illegal, and frequently violent.

“Deforestation and fires have always been a problem, but this is the first time it has happened thanks to the discourse and activities of the federal government,” says Marina Silva, who as environment minister in the mid-2000s cracked down on illegal activity in the Amazon, contributing to an 83 percent fall in deforestation from 2004 to 2012.

Around 2014, Brazil’s massive economy, which relies on exports of soybeans, coffee, iron, and cars and had been booming, started sliding into a deep recession. Deforestation began to rise as ranchers and loggers searched for new land to exploit. The Amazon—long a source for rubber trees, minerals, and fertile land—was the obvious place to go.

Agribusiness—large-scale businesses related to agriculture—has always been a force in Brazil, but it’s gained even more economic and political power recently. It now represents nearly a quarter of the country’s G.D.P., with businesses ranging from soybean farms and gold and iron ore mines to ranches holding more than 50 million cattle. These industries found an ally in President Bolsonaro.

“Deforestation and fires have always been a problem, but this is the first time it has happened thanks to the discourse and activities of the federal government,” says Marina Silva. She was an environment minister in the mid-2000s. During her time in office, she cracked down on illegal activity in the Amazon. Her efforts contributed to an 83 percent fall in deforestation from 2004 to 2012.

Brazil’s massive economy relies on exports of soybeans, coffee, iron, and cars. Its economy had been booming. Then, it slid into a deep recession around 2014. Deforestation began to rise as ranchers and loggers searched for new land to use. The Amazon had long been a source for rubber trees, minerals, and fertile land. That made it the obvious place to go.

Agribusiness, large-scale businesses related to agriculture, has always been a force in Brazil. This group has gained even more economic and political power recently. It now represents nearly a quarter of the country’s G.D.P. These types of businesses range from soybean farms and gold and iron ore mines to ranches holding more than 50 million cattle. These industries found an ally in President Bolsonaro.

Deforestation began to rise before Bolsonaro took office in January 2019. By the height of the summer dry season six months later, some experts feared that criminal loggers and ranchers, who use fire as a way to clear land for crops and pasture, were destroying the Amazon with impunity. Authorities counted more than 80,000 fires in the past year, according to government data.

The blazes drew international attention, especially as images spread online of jungle infernos, charred trees, and the smoke-darkened sky over São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, which is 1,800 miles southeast of the rainforest.

The deforestation turned into a major diplomatic crisis for Bolsonaro. France threatened to block a major trade deal, and Norway and Germany halted donations to help Brazil’s government protect the rainforest, as Brazil faced a global backlash from politicians, celebrities, and popular opinion.

Deforestation began to rise before Bolsonaro took office in January 2019. Six months later, the summer dry season was at its height. By then, some experts feared that the Amazon was being destroyed by criminal loggers and ranchers. They use fire as a way to clear land for crops and pasture. Authorities counted more than 80,000 fires in the past year, according to government data.

The blazes drew international attention. Images of jungle infernos and charred trees spread online. Photos of the smoke-darkened sky over São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, were also everywhere. This was even more striking because the city is 1,800 miles southeast of the rainforest.

The deforestation turned into a major diplomatic crisis for Bolsonaro. France threatened to block a major trade deal. Norway and Germany halted donations to help Brazil’s government protect the rainforest. And Brazil faced a global backlash from politicians, celebrities, and popular opinion.

“Defending the Amazon has never been more urgent for our planet,” actor Leonardo DiCaprio tweeted.

In a speech at the United Nations last fall, Bolsanaro said the reports of fires in the Amazon were exaggerated and that the Amazon “remains pristine and virtually untouched.” But a few months later, his comments about the inevitability of the destruction sparked outrage: “Deforestation and fires will never end,” he said. “It’s cultural.”

After his initial defiance, Bolsonaro mobilized the Brazilian military to tackle the flames and issued a decree banning fires in the Amazon for 60 days. The furor reached such a pitch that Brazil’s businesses became worried about the potential impact.

“Did we have our image harmed? Yes,” says Blairo Maggi, a billionaire soybean producer and former agriculture minister known as the Soy King. “Can we recover it? Yes.”

The people who work the land have expressed conflicting feelings about the destruction. For some, the fires are a dual threat, spewing dangerous smoke and destroying a forest that has always provided a livelihood. For others, the deforestation creates much-needed jobs in a sluggish economy.

And some say blame for the destruction goes well beyond Bolsonaro and Brazil. After all, the push into the Amazon has also been driven by demand from abroad. Every year, Brazil exports nearly 15 million tons of soybeans, much of it to China, and more than $6 billion worth of beef—more than any other country in history. Cattle ranches account for up to 80 percent of deforested land in the Amazon, according to the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Major beef and soybean companies have been fined millions by Brazil’s environmental protection agency for buying commodities sourced from illegally deforested land, but environmental rules have proved difficult to enforce.

“Defending the Amazon has never been more urgent for our planet,” actor Leonardo DiCaprio tweeted.

In a speech at the United Nations last fall, Bolsonaro said the reports of fires in the Amazon were exaggerated. He added that the Amazon “remains pristine and virtually untouched.” But a few months later, his comments calling the destruction inevitable sparked outrage. “Deforestation and fires will never end,” he said. “It’s cultural.”

After his initial defiance, Bolsonaro mobilized the Brazilian military to tackle the flames. He issued a decree banning fires in the Amazon for 60 days. The uproar was so intense that Brazil’s businesses became worried about the potential impact.

“Did we have our image harmed? Yes,” says Blairo Maggi, a billionaire soybean producer and former agriculture minister known as the Soy King. “Can we recover it? Yes.”

The people who work the land have expressed conflicting feelings about the destruction. For some, the fires are a dual threat. To them, these fires are giving off dangerous smoke and destroying a forest that has always provided a livelihood. For others, the deforestation creates much-needed jobs in a sluggish economy.

And some say blame for the destruction goes well beyond Bolsonaro and Brazil. After all, the push into the Amazon has also been driven by demand from abroad. Every year, Brazil exports nearly 15 million tons of soybeans. Much of it goes to China. The country also exports more than $6 billion worth of beef. That’s more than any other country in history. Cattle ranches account for up to 80 percent of deforested land in the Amazon, according to the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Major beef and soybean companies have been fined millions by Brazil’s environmental protection agency for buying commodities sourced from illegally deforested land. But environmental rules have proved difficult to enforce.

Bolsonaro has repeatedly described the rainforest as a resource to be exploited. For months he has also dismissed indigenous people’s concerns about increasing incursions onto protected land by loggers and miners, even as those groups have pleaded with the government for protection from growing violence.

Many scientists say the world needs to take steps now to protect the rainforest and preserve the role it plays in keeping climate change in check. Thomas Lovejoy, an environmental scientist, compared this moment to the years before the onset of the Dust Bowl, in which land mismanagement and drought turned American plains states into wastelands during the 1930s, killing thousands of people in dust storms and displacing some 2.5 million Americans who fled the devastated area.

“Nobody really saw that coming,” Lovejoy says. “The difference between then and now is we do see it coming, and we know enough not to do it.”

Bolsonaro has repeatedly described the rainforest as a resource that should be used. For months he has also dismissed indigenous people’s concerns about increasing incursions onto protected land by loggers and miners. And he’s kept this stance even as those groups have pleaded with the government for protection from growing violence.

Many scientists say the world needs to take steps now to protect the rainforest and preserve the role it plays in keeping climate change in check. Thomas Lovejoy, an environmental scientist, compared this moment to the years before the onset of the Dust Bowl. That’s the period in which land mismanagement and drought turned American plains states into wastelands during the 1930s. The resulting dust storms killed thousands of people. Some 2.5 million Americans fled the devastated area.

“Nobody really saw that coming,” Lovejoy says. “The difference between then and now is we do see it coming, and we know enough not to do it.”

With reporting by Matt Sandy, a journalist based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.