Deforestation in Brazil

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Reasons for deforestation differ sharply across the tropics, but widespread clearing of tropical forests contribute to global warming.

After more than 6 years of steady declines the deforestation rate in the Brazilian Amazon has more than doubled in the last six months. Many observers blame recent changes to Brazil’s Forest Code for the dramatic rise.

Bob Carty reports from the Brazilian northeast on the domestic and international forces that are driving the widespread destruction of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest. The region embodies many of the historical conflicts between environmental protection and economic development, which will be the focus of a major UN conference next month in Rio de Janeiro.

Many people in the Amazon region want, and need, to grow food but rainforest trees are in their way, so deforestation is the first step in starting a profitable farm