DeForest

Critics say Google's former motto "Don't be evil" has effectively become "Don't be good," pointing to the company's data center operations in Finland and their environmental impact on local forests. The discussion links Big Tech's rapid AI-driven infrastructure expansion to deforestation concerns, arguing that corporate environmental commitments are being undermined by the growing energy and land demands of data centers.

Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, is reportedly performing strongly in Brazil's election, a development environmental commentators describe as bad news for climate policy. Observers link the Bolsonaro political movement to weakened environmental protections and deforestation pressures in the Amazon, making his electoral progress a concern for those hoping for stronger climate action from Brazil's next government.

Critics are challenging whether so-called sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is genuinely a climate solution, arguing that links to palm oil production drive deforestation and amount to greenwashing. The claims are circulating alongside an Open Democracy article, with campaigners urging a boycott of palm oil and calling the aviation industry's fuel promises a deceptive marketing exercise.

The IUCN warns that ongoing fires in Indonesia are threatening the habitat of a critically endangered orangutan species, with burning forest destroying what remains of its already limited range. Conservationists say the blazes add to pressure from deforestation and palm oil expansion, and are urging stronger protection and firefighting measures before the species' population declines further.

Commentators warn that the Amazon rainforest faces more fires, ash, crime and death, with the globally important ecosystem being driven ever more rapidly towards a point of no return. The warning is tied to the political prospect of Flávio Bolsonaro holding on to an electoral lead, which critics say would mean four more years of policies accelerating deforestation and environmental degradation in the region.

Environmental critics are highlighting claims that large-scale industrial operations, widely believed to be data centres powering AI, consume over two million litres of water per day, release PFAS 'forever chemicals', generate significant heat, and drive deforestation and habitat loss leading to species extinction. The complaints frame these costs as an unacceptable price for the technology the facilities enable.

Commentators are warning that Brazil's election results put the Amazon Rainforest and Indigenous peoples at greater risk. Allies of former president Jair Bolsonaro won or gained ground in seven of the nine states that make up the Amazon biome, where deforestation reportedly rose 59% during his previous four years in office. Critics say the outcome will make protecting the forest far harder under the incoming Lula government.

Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, is making gains in Brazil's elections, in a setback for climate campaigners. Commentators are questioning why President Lula's widely praised success in curbing Amazon deforestation has not translated into electoral support, raising concerns about the political prospects of Brazil's environmental agenda.

Commentators in Brazil are warning that if Jair Bolsonaro returns to power, his son could first pardon the former president, who they say is rightly imprisoned. Beyond that, they argue another Bolsonaro government would be catastrophic for the Amazon rainforest, with environmental protections stripped away and deforestation allowed to surge, potentially sealing the forest's fate.

An EarthTalk column warns that the Amazon rainforest is gradually turning into barren land, citing ongoing deforestation and degradation that could push parts of the region toward permanent loss of forest cover. The piece argues that continued clearing for agriculture and development is eroding the ecosystem's ability to sustain itself, raising concern among environmental advocates.