Brazil's Amazon hit a record low for burned area in 2025, with just 3.1 million hectares scorched compared to 15.8 million in 2024 — the smallest footprint since records began in 1985. President Lula's commitment to zero deforestation is clearly bearing fruit, with satellite data confirming a 38% drop in deforested land. Political will works, and Brazil is proving that protecting the Amazon is a choice, not a fantasy.
Celebrating lower burn numbers while approving new oil drilling at the Amazon's mouth is a contradiction that can't be ignored. IBAMA granted Petrobras a license to explore the Foz do Amazonas Basin — one of the planet's most biodiverse regions — just weeks before COP30, and deforestation is still soaring even where fires declined. A green reputation built on selective data while expanding fossil fuel frontiers is not climate leadership.
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 7.4.1