The advancement of the trade agreement with Mercosur brings with it a direct environmental cost: the Amazon is losing forest cover at a critical rate. Vast expanses of the biome are being cleared to establish pastures for cattle ranching. A 2022 study on tipping points warns that the region could collapse irreversibly within decades if deforestation is not halted, with global warming already threatening from 2 °C.
Satellite sensors detect the advance of the livestock frontier 🌿
Satellite monitoring systems, such as INPE's PRODES, are already recording a sustained increase in deforested areas that coincide with meat export routes. The data indicates that the loss of tree cover reduces the forest's ability to recycle moisture, accelerating the transition towards a degraded savanna. The climate model suggests that with 3.5 °C of global warming, the dieback of the Amazon would be widespread and without any technical possibility of return.
The ecological solution: more cows and less oxygen 🐄
But there is no need to worry. According to the logic of free trade, cutting down trees to raise cattle is impeccable progress. After all, forests only produce oxygen and regulate the climate, things that are clearly in abundance. If the Amazon collapses in 20 years, we can always move the cows to Antarctica. The grass will grow there with the melting ice, and the business will remain strong.