The lawless destruction of the Amazon rainforest is an emergency that touches us all. …Under Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, deforestation is at a 15-year high. …The Washington Post travels to some of the Amazon’s most remote and dangerous regions to reveal how crime, corruption and greed are leading to its systematic dismantling — and how Brazil, and the world, are failing to ensure the integrity of the planet’s largest rainforest. Key takeaways:
- Beef is the killer — and America is complicit.
- Brazil has the tools to make the beef industry less destructive.
- Those accused of destroying the forest are often charged with protecting it.
- Brazil has lost nearly a fifth of its Amazon rainforest.
- Killing accompanies illegal deforestation — and is done with impunity.
- Many of the problems preceded Bolsonaro, but they have intensified.