Brazil: Amazon deforestation hits new record
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An area equivalent to around 140,000 football fields was destroyed in April
Brazil has set a new record for the amount of trees cut down in the Amazon rainforest, according to government data from the country.
Deforestation reached record levels last month, despite the fact that April is usually a slower logging month because of the rainy season.
The amount of forest removed in April was nearly double that compared to a year ago.
Deforestation has been accelerating under current Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro - it has gone up by 75% since he came to power three years ago.
Trees are important for our environment for many reasons as they absorb carbon, fight flooding, reduce pollution and help wildlife
Just over a thousand square kilometres of the world's biggest tropical rainforest was cut down in April and the figure is worrying scientists.
Mariana Napolitano from the World Wildlife Fund said: "This figure is extremely high for this period of the year."
"It's an alert of the immense pressure the forest is under," she added.
The Amazon is the world's largest tropical rainforest. It's so big that the UK and Ireland would fit into it 17 times!
Experts are warning that in 2022, Brazil may have its fourth straight year of decade-high deforestation, after January and February have already been higher than previous years.
Deforestation in the Amazon has accelerated since Jair Bolsonaro became Brazilian President in 2019 and weakened environmental protection in the country.
President Bolsonaro argues that more farming and mining in the Amazon will reduce poverty in the region.
Scientists say that preservation of the Amazon is vital to stopping climate change because of the large amount of climate-warming carbon dioxide that the trees absorbs.
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