New laws in Brazil are allowing the use of toxic pesticides and putting the biodiversity of the Amazon Rainforest and local Indigenous populations at risk.
What's happening?
Mongabay reported that the Brazilian Congress has approved new, conservative bills under the rule of Brazil's new president that reduce environmental protections in favor of agribusiness. One such piece of legislation, the Poison Bill, allows for the sale and use of pesticides banned in the European Union.
Not only does the Poison Bill present risks for plant and animal life at the edge of the Amazon Rainforest, but it also threatens the food and water supplies of native people living in the region.
"Dangerous pesticides are directly affecting human lives and the environment," said Sonia Corina Hess, a chemical engineer and retired professor. "There is violence associated with the use of agrochemicals, a chemical war that expels Amazonian populations from their lands and poisons all forms of life."
Brazil has increased its use of pesticides by at least 78% in the last decade and already uses more of these deadly chemicals than the U.S. and China combined.
Why are pesticides in Brazil important?
Pesticides are harmful everywhere on the planet, but the Amazon Rainforest is particularly vulnerable. Most of Brazil's pesticide usage is for corn, soybeans, cotton, sugar cane, and pasture crops — all of which grow in the rainforest's border that is seeing the highest deforestation rates.
Research shows that biodiversity is well-established in the Amazon and slow to adapt to changes. When pesticides contaminate water and soil, entire food chains could suffer and cease to exist.
Meanwhile, there are significant public health concerns in Brazil now that carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic, and hormone-disrupting chemicals are no longer banned. Indigenous populations' cancer risks are now higher while agribusiness and chemical companies profit from the new laws.
What's being done about pesticide use worldwide?
Activists in Brazil have been protesting against the Poison Bill and speaking out about its harmful effects on traditional communities and the environment. Researchers and authors are now publishing reports and books about the increasing cases of pesticide poisoning victims and telling their stories to inform the public.
You can fight for pesticide restrictions and reduce toxic chemicals where you live by starting in your own backyard. By using basil for pest control and making DIY insecticides, you can protect your family and neighborhood from the harmful effects of traditional pesticides and encourage others to do the same.
To discourage pesticide use in the Amazon Rainforest, avoid buying from brands that use materials linked to Amazon deforestation and consider eco-friendly or secondhand items instead.
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