Amazon’s emissions ‘doubled’ under first half of Bolsonaro presidency

New study published in Nature says period was as destructive as record 2016 El Nino drought and heatwave

The first half of Jair Bolsonaro's presidency was so destructive for the Amazon that it was comparable to the record 2016 El Nino drought and heatwave in terms of carbon emissions, according to scientists.

Annual emissions from the world's largest rainforest roughly doubled in 2019 and 2020, compared with the 2010 to 2018 average, according to a new study published in Nature, as swaths of forest were deliberately cleared and burned for cattle ranching and farming during the first two years of the far-right leader's time in office.