Written by: Matthew McGuire

Brazil is heating up environmentally, and world leaders are working to cap illegal deforestation to prevent additional damage to our atmosphere.

Brazil’s government is a federal republic. It is made up of 26 states and the Federal District of Brasília. Each state has its own elected legislature and governor. In connection, the government within each states needs to be taking a more regulated approach to helping the residents protect and manage the land from illegal activity.

Residents in South America are fighting to keep their land, as well as fighting to save the environment from illegal loggers, and deforestation. The process of deforestation is a global problem for areas in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

According to a report by CNN:

Burning rain forests and deforestation account for anywhere from 5% to 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions per year, according to calculations made by climate scientists. And the Amazon basin — which is more than twice the size of India at 6.7 million square kilometers (2.6 million square miles) — contains by far the largest remaining rain forest in the world.

The conflict taking place in Brazil not only involves environmental issues, but also connects to their economy and culture, which is heavily dependent upon the rainforest. VICE reviews the battle between illegal loggers and the residents of Brazil.

On the Alto Rio Guamá reserve in Brazil, the Tembe tribe has been battling for decades to save its land from illegal loggers and settlers. As tension escalates, the Tembe people have now been forced to take up arms and confront the loggers, sparking violent clashes deep within the jungle.

With the odds stacked against the tribe, VICE News traveled to the northern Brazilian state of Para to meet the Tembe and witness the tribe’s struggle to protect its land.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has pledged to achieve zero illegal deforestation in the Amazon by 2030.

Environmental News