Deforestation harms climate less than other types of Amazon degradation, study finds

bulldozer tracks mark deforestation at a forest's edge

photo by Mitch Korolev

Deforestation harms climate less than other types of Amazon degradation, study finds

bulldozer tracks mark deforestation at a forest's edge

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva came into office in 2023 pledging to tackle deforestation in the Amazon and restore his country as a climate leader after years of intense destruction in the world’s largest rainforest under predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.

Lula’s commitment to end deforestation by 2030 is on track with tighter enforcement helping to cut deforestation rates by more than half, according to government figures. But a new study indicates that deforestation alone accounts for a only fraction of climate damage involving the Amazon.

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