The Covid-19 pandemic in Brazil comes in the wake of the political polarisation that was accentuated in the 2014 presidential elections and the scientific denialism used by the current government of President Jair Bolsonaro. Experts estimate that the way the president handles the most serious health crisis in recent decades is a reflection of this scenario.
The rate of deforestation in Amazonia during the Bolsonaro era has risen dramatically, now also spurred by the Covid-19 crisis. This publication takes closer look at the complex social, economic and political causes of deforestation and land degradation in the so-called "lungs of the planet".
