Last Monday, Brazil’s government released a plan to eliminate deforestation in the Amazon, the largest rain forest on the planet, by 2030 (Reuters, BBC). The plan is a critical step in decreasing Brazil's carbon emissions, which account for about 3% of the world’s emissions, half of which are understood to be caused by deforestation (AP News). It outlines strategies for decreasing local economies’ reliance on cattle ranching, a driving force of deforestation, through developing a bioeconomy in the Amazon region with increased ecotourism and acai production (Reuters). The plan also seeks to cut down on criminal activity through the use of remote monitoring and accountability systems in the Amazon that employ satellite imagery and financial intelligence (AP News). As part of this effort, the government intends to develop mechanisms to trace wood, livestock, and other agricultural products derived from the Amazon to ensure they have been acquired through legal means (Reuters). 

“Brazil will once again become a global reference in sustainability, tackling climate change, and achieving targets for carbon emission reduction and zero deforestation,” President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, or “Lula,” commented (AP News). Lula has made reducing deforestation a central part of his presidential platform, which served as a driving force behind these efforts and spearheaded an additional pledge to achieve net-zero deforestation by replanting as much vegetation as is removed. While the strategy is set to be implemented over the remaining four years in President Lula’s term, full implementation will depend on his successor, who will take office in 2027 (AP News).