Brazil Amazon rainforest deforestation hits 11-year high in 2019 -govt data

Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest rose 29.5% for the 12 months through July, to an 11-year high of 9,762 square kilometers, the country's INPE space research agency said on Monday.

That's the most deforestation since 2008 and confirms preliminary monthly data showing a precipitous rise in deforestation in Brazil under right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, who favors developing the Amazon region economically over environmental protections.

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