Brazil’s Amazon deforestation surges to 15-year high, undercutting government pledge

The surging destruction comes despite Bolsonaro’s efforts to show his government is serious about protecting the Amazon, considered critical to staving off catastrophic climate change.

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest soared 22 percent in a year to the highest level since 2006, the government's annual report showed on Thursday, undercutting President Jair Bolsonaro's assurances that the country is curbing illegal logging.