Brazil has burned rainforest areas twice Chile's size last two decades.

Brazil's federal government does not admit it, but the numbers of forest devastation don't lie. From 2000 to 2019, the 5th largest country burned 18% of its territory, reaching 579,000 square miles burned in the last twenty years. These numbers were published this Monday by a local newspaper showing which areas were degraded most.

Only the Amazon rainforest has lost more than 165,000 square miles since 2000. It's four times Cuba size. There is no sign it will change soon as the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is boycotting all actions to protect the environment carried out by its administration. Since Bolsonaro's inauguration, burned in Amazon is 29,5% higher. The Brazilian environment secretary Ricardo Salles has been accused of defunding local institutions, making it impossible to stop the fire.

Areas of native vegetation are destroyed to give place to cattle. Brazil has the most extensive commercial cattle in the world, but for sure, there is no need to destroy forests to accommodate them in a continental-size country. It's an encroachment moved by the profit that does not respect the environment or native indigenous areas.

Pantanal

The Pantanal is a natural region located mostly within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but it also extends into Bolivia and Paraguay. The largest fire in Pantanal's history left thousands of animals killed by the fire, locals with no income, and a vast green area burned. Firefighters, volunteers, and non-governmental groups helped save native alligators, jaguars, and anteaters, and others were rescued and underwent treatments. Many of those found alive had severe burns on their paw and other parts of the body. Scientists from the National Institute for Spatial Research (INPE) say the fires are not natural, being 100% made by humans.

Ricardo Salles

Bolsonaro's environment minister, Ricardo Salles, is comparable to a fox taking care of sheep. What is happening now in Brazil is an open scandal. Salles is holding back protections in the most extensive burned in Brazil's recent history.

Called "Terminator Environment Minister', last October's Time edition headline, "The Terminator" is Salles's nickname among Brazilian climate activists.

Time Magazine -"Activists say Salles is working to appease specific business sectors that form a crucial part of Bolsonaro's support base."

Ultra-conservative entrepreneurs form the support base mentioned; many are linked to livestock, destroying the rainforest.

Brazilians don't usually take a vacation in the Amazon cause it is expensive. The logistics aren't easy; also, Brazilians generally prefer to travel to other countries, for more weird it sounds. I did try to visit the rainforest once, but I found everything much expensive, almost impossible to pay.

Those burned areas are unique, some found only in Brazil, making the rainforest valuable for scientific research. Bolsonaro is selling the forest to companies and foreign govern, as it's doing the same with Brazilian state-owned companies. In a significant embarrassing moment for the President of Brazil, during one of World Economic Forum 2020 in Davos, Switzerland, Bolsonaro says in front of cameras to the former United States vice-president Al Gore that Amazon is rich in resources Brazil would like to explore together to the USA. The video shows Al Gore very uncomfortable after Bolsonaro's suggestion. Most Brazilians feel the same.

Of course, the destruction has to stop, and even those far away from the rainforest can avoid or stop eating meat, reducing the need for more grazing for livestock. The movement Meat Free Monday is a way to go for those who want to do something about it. Funding climate activists groups like Greenpeace fighting on the rainforest ground is also very helpful.