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By June of this year deforestation in Brazil had increased by no less than 60 percent, compared to June 2018 (Photo: Matt Trostle)

Amazon fires mean EP must rethink Mercosur trade deal

The Amazon rainforest is burning at a rate never before documented by scientists. The causes are familiar enough: illegal logging, mining, the production of biofuels, agriculture and livestock are eating away at the lungs of the planet.

Some 80 percent of global deforestation is the result of the clearing of new land for agriculture. Now that president Jair Bolsonaro has rolled back virtually all the protective measures in Brazil, he appears to have unleashed a free-for-all.

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Disclaimer

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s, not those of EUobserver

Author Bio

Kathleen Van Brempt is a member of the European Parliament, a member of the International Trade Committee and the international trade policy coordinator for the Socialists & Democrats group.

By June of this year deforestation in Brazil had increased by no less than 60 percent, compared to June 2018 (Photo: Matt Trostle)

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Author Bio

Kathleen Van Brempt is a member of the European Parliament, a member of the International Trade Committee and the international trade policy coordinator for the Socialists & Democrats group.

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