Quick Take — Has deforestation in the Amazon slowed down?

Deforestation in Brazil slowed down in 2024. And this is the first time in the last six years. The figure is contained in the RAD2024 report compiled by MapBiomas Alerta, a collaborative network of Brazilian NGOs, universities and technology start-ups. RAD2024 was presented today in Brasilia, a few months before the South American giant hosts the crucial Cop30, the 30th UN climate conference. ..
However, the issue is controversial. Only a few weeks ago, on 25 April, the Amazon Institute for People and the Environment (Imazon) had released data of a diametrically opposite nature, although relating to the Amazon alone: ‘Deforested areas in the Amazon increased by 18% between August 2024 and March 2025, compared to the same period the previous year. A total of 229,000 hectares of forest were deforested’. Figures so conflicting that a reliable, unambiguous monitoring system on the affected territories is urgently needed.

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Quick Take — European chocolate groups lead opposition to delay of EU deforestation law

Nestlé, Ferrero and more than 50 other companies say the uncertainty is putting investments at risk. The law, which was due to come into force on 30 December, bans the sale within the EU of goods made from raw materials grown on deforested land from seven sectors, including cocoa, palm oil, rubber and wood. But it has been fiercely contested by producer countries such as Indonesia, Brazil and Malaysia, prompting the European Commission to say last month that it would postpone its implementation for a year. Other companies opposing the delay include tyre companies Michelin and Pirelli, supermarket chain Carrefour, and consumer companies Mars and Unilever. According to a report by Thailand’s Krungsri bank this year, the deforestation law will impact about $401 billion of EU trade per year, about 5.5 per cent of all imports into the [EU] bloc in 2022. In its assessment of the law’s impact, the committee estimated that the cost of compliance could amount to between $170 billion and $2.5 billion per year.