
The Amazon, which is being deforested at an annual rate of some 52,000 square kilometers (20,000 square miles) -- an area the size of Costa Rica -- is vital to the exchange of oxygen for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a check on global warming.
Actually, it has gotten worse - much worse. In a report released by the Ministry of the Environment (MMA) and Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications (MCTIC) on Friday, about 7,900 square kilometers (3,050 square miles) of the world's largest rainforest was destroyed between August 2017 and July 2018 - an area about five times the size of London.
This loss of the rainforest amounted to a 13.7 percent increase over the year before, based on satellite data. Environmental Minister Edson Duarte said illegal logging was to blame, adding that the loss of rainforest came about despite an increase in its budget and in operations carried out by its environment agency Ibama.














Comment: Professor Valentina Zharkova explains and confirms why a "Super" Grand Solar Minimum is upon us