Why releasing mining on Amazonian indigenous lands and the advance of agrobusiness is extremely harmful for the mitigation of world’s climate change? Comment on Pereira et al. (Environmental Science & Policy 100 (2019) 8–12)

Abstract

The newly published article by Pereira et al. (2019) analyzed the threaten of Brazilian political perspectives to the conservation of Amazonian forest. We highlighted some recent events that has leading Brazilian scientists and environmentalists worried. Mining activities and uncontrolled fire are usually associated to negative impacts on local biodiversity and on ecosystem services supporting traditional populations, such as indigenous people and riverine populations, besides generates tons of toxic wastes. Brazil’s president intentions regarding resource exploitation in the Amazon, mostly inside indigenous lands, may lead to catastrophic consequences not only for Amazon biodiversity and traditional populations, but also for the achievement of Brazilian and world´s targets of reducing global carbon emissions and to decrease current global warming rates. The active management of these areas is thus essential to preserve their role on climate change mitigation and must be the focus of the Brazilian government, rather than one considering exploring local mining and agrobusiness.