Amazon forest carbon emissions skyrocketed under Bolsonaro, study shows

FILE PHOTO: An aerial view shows trees as the sun rises at the Amazon rainforest in Manaus, Amazonas State, Brazil October 26, 2022. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly/File Photo

(Reuters) - Brazilian space research center INPE said on Wednesday that carbon emissions in the Amazon forest soared in 2019 and 2020 compared to the previous decade due to poor enforcement of environmental protection policies.

The forest's carbon emissions amounted to 0.44 billion metric tons in 2019 and 0.52 billion metric tons in 2020, compared to an annual average of 0.24 billion metric tons from 2010-2018, according to the INPE study published in Nature magazine.