|
Trucks loaded with tree trunks are burned by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, during an operation to combat illegal mining and logging, in the municipality of Novo Progresso, Para State, northern Brazil, November 11, 2016. When able to do their job, agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, are decisive, punishing illegal loggers on the spot. Nearly twice the size of India, the Amazon absorbs an estimated 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, making its preservation vital in the fight to halt global warming. Ibama, responsible for preserving Brazil's 65 percent share of the world's largest rainforest, is one of the most important groups in that fight. But after years of surprising success, the rate of deforestation is on the rise again. Over the past four years it has risen 35 percent, as Ibama suffered from a lack of funding amid Brazil's worst recession in a century. (Photo by Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)
|
