Data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research shows that about 192 square miles of forest were cleared last month, compared to 574 square miles last July.

The data appears to show a significant shift after Brazil’s hard-right former president Jair Bolsonaro lost re-election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known colloquially as Lula, in October 2022.

Under Bolsonaro, deforestation increased, spiking by 88 percent in his first year alone. 

In contrast, Lula identified protection of the Amazon as a major goal for his return to the presidency, announcing a target of zero deforestation by the end of the decade.

The Amazon Rainforest has been prized for its abundance of animal and plant species and is home to a number of Indigenous people. 

It had been considered a major carbon sink — soaking up planet-warming emissions. However, recent research shows that parts of the forest are losing their ability to do so because of factors like deforestation and climate change.

Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.

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