The Great Rainforest Tragedy

Brazil’s 1.6 million acres of rainforest is the most species-rich habitat on earth. But it has long been threatened by development, logging, and farming undertaken by a burgeoning population mired in poverty. Deforestation has jumped by 40% in the last year, shocking environmentalists and government officials, who have promised to take action against the problem. But the cause of deforestation may be difficult for bureaucrats to halt. Much of the land cleared recently is being used by farmers growing soybeans, an important export crop that is popular in Europe as cattle feed. Although Brazil’s emergence as one of the world’s largest soybean producers is diminishing the country’s trade deficit, it is also destroying a crucial global oxygen source – “the great green lung of the world.” –YaleGlobal