Deforestation in Brazil in July was almost four times higher in the same month of 2018, according to official figures released Tuesday. This confirms a worrying state of affairs but is questioned regularly by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), the government agency responsible for measuring deforestation in the Amazon, reported 2,254 square kilometers of deforested areas in the country last month, compared to 596.6 square kilometers in July 2018 , an increase of 278% over one year.
Bolsonaro denies
The latest INPE data showed an 88% increase in deforestation in Brazil in June compared with the same month last year. Deforested areas reach 6,833 square kilometers over the past 12 months, up 40%, according to the same organization.
The Bolsonaro government recently dismissed INPE director Ricardo Galvao, who was accused of providing "lies" figures for "playing the NGO game". For the head of state, known climate-skeptic, data showing a recent increase in deforestation "do not correspond to reality" and "damage to the image of Brazil."