(Photo : Reuters)

Amazon deforestation is at its highest in more than a decade. Who are the culprits in this ecological disaster?

The Amazon forest made headlines in 2019 for all the wrong reasons:  deforestation, illegal logging, illegal mining and fires. According to AP News, deforestation increased by as much as 30 percent from August 2018 and July 2019 compared to the same period a year ago. In terms of size, it is comparable to the size of the U.S. and Rhode Island combined. 

Environmental protection groups are lobbying the government to make efforts to stop it. But illegal activities allegedly worsened under the term of President Jair Bolsonaro. Critics claim that Bolsanaro's administration has given abusers the leeway to skirt around guidelines and restrictions. The President, on the other hand, is having none of it. He claims that environmental groups are misusing data to blow up the problem. Balsonaro even accused the groups of masterminding the Amazon fires so that he could be blamed. 

Forest fires are often used by farmers to clear land for cattle grazing. This prompted world leaders to call out about lessening meat consumption. Brazil is the world's number 1 exporter of beef. Brazilians love their meat and the world like the meat that comes from their country. However, the increased demand also led to illegal activities.

Per CNN, Brazil's president rejected the offer of 20 million US dollars in foreign aid to fight the forest fires. Brazilian environment minister Ricardo Sales, admitted that the problem is worse than they expected, but it is also not what the media has painted it to be. "[The level of deforestation] is far from what we wanted, but it's also far from the three digit numbers that had been reported," a part of his interview reads. 

People in Brazil are somewhat changing their lifestyle to address the issue. More Brazilians have turned vegan in recent years. Survey results show that 3 out of 4 people in the country want to adopt a healthier diet and admire those who changed theirs. The Washington Post reported that in Western Countries, vegans are more liked than addicts when it comes to community perception.

There is also the high rate of obesity, which is compounded by Amazon deforestation and fires. Leticia Baird introduced vegan meals in schools in lieu of the traditional meat and potatoes. While the goal of the prosecutor in the Bahia state public ministry is noble, not a few raised their eyebrows. The change, it seems, cannot happen overnight. 

Reports claim that children are going home hungry because they have not eaten lunch served in their school cafeteria. Feasting on oatmeal, vegan bread and meat-free kibbe instead of margarine, pastas and meats are just too much for them. Some kids bring lunch boxes with meat while others throw the meat alternative meals to the garbage because it is either not cooked properly or does suit their taste palates. 

If going vegan will be a key factor in stopping Amazon deforestation and fires, then the government and environmental groups must work together in raising public awareness.