MADRID SPAIN, October 24, 2022

In 2021 Brazil saw massive deforestation of the Amazon under president Jair Bolsanaro.
With the upcoming presidential elections in Brazil between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Bolsanaro the world is reminded of deforestation’s disastrous effects on human life.

In recent years some countries have committed to sustainable development by cutting back on deforestation for example government policies that enforce the prohibition of illegal logging.
This new enforcement has proven to be effective with percentages of deforestation falling however without a collective will by all countries’ leadership the world continues to face the consequences.

The effect of deforestation on human life endangers human life.
An estimated 25% of the global population relies on forests for their livelihoods- a majority of which are indigenous communities.
Without forests, these communities are at risk of food insecurity and clean water.
Companies that convert forests into livestock grazing and mass-produced sites could in turn alter the biodiversity and fertility of the land.
This, in turn, could for example spark new diseases with the migration of animals into more human-populated areas.

The lack of care for the environment makes it all too easy for heads of state to remain unaware of how the earth’s health issues are directly connected to human health.

We as a global community must remain conscious of the ongoing crisis of environmental policies to continue our hope for a world without hunger, violence, destruction, and disease.