RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, which has already lost over 3,445 square kilometers in 2019, was the focus of the U.S. magazine Foreign Policy, published on Tuesday, August 6th, which headlines an article entitled “Who will invade Brazil to save the Amazon?”. According to the article, it is “only a matter of time” before world leaders do “whatever is necessary” to prevent climate change on the planet.
Researcher Stephen M. Walt, of Harvard University, points out that 60 percent of the Amazon basin belongs to Brazil and states that President Bolsonaro’s policies have put at risk the largest tropical forest in the world, responsible for much of the planet’s carbon absorption.
A further point raised is how world leaders, from the European Union (EU) to the United Nations (UN), have prioritized the fight against environmental degradation in recent years.
“The question, therefore, is how far would the international community be willing to go in order to prevent, halt, or reverse actions that might cause immense and irreparable harm to the environment on which all humans depend?” writes the author, arguing that, in the near future, even military action could be acceptable in this context.
This is the second time in less than a week that the Amazon forest has garnered the international media’s attention. Last Thursday, August 1st, The Economist magazine dedicated the cover of its latest issue to the subject, declaring that the Amazon is on a “death watch”.
“The natural wonder of South America may be dangerously close to the tipping point beyond which its gradual transformation into something closer to the steppe may not be prevented or reversed,” said the weekly publication.
Professor Walt points out in his article that Brazil happens to be in possession of a critical global resource—for purely historical reasons—and its destruction would harm many states, if not the entire planet.
“Unlike Belize or Burundi, what Brazil does could have a big impact. But Brazil isn’t a true great power, and threatening it with either economic sanctions or even the use of force if it refused to protect the rainforest might be feasible. To be clear: I’m not recommending this course of action either now or in the future. I’m just pointing out that Brazil might be somewhat more vulnerable to pressure than some other states are.”
Last week, President Bolsonaro confirmed that he had exonerated Ricardo Galvão, former president of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), for not having appreciated the way in which the agency disclosed the data on deforestation in the Amazon. “It is not the stance of a Brazilian who wants to serve his homeland and is concerned about Brazil’s business. It is regrettable,” he said.