BURNING aMAZONia A GLOBAL CORPORATE CRIME

This report by Friends of the Earth International analyzes the 2019 Amazon rainforest fires as a result of corporate power and the expansion of the agricultural frontier. It argues that the MercoSur-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will accelerate deforestation, violate the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and reinforce Brazil's neo-colonial dependence by prioritizing the profits of transnational corporations over environmental and human rights.

• The 2019 Amazon forest fires were not isolated incidents but part of a coordinated process to expand the agricultural frontier for commodities like soybean, corn, and rice. In August 2019, there were over 31,000 outbreaks, a 34% increase compared to August 2018. This period also saw a high concentration of violence, with 84% of rural assassinations and 73% of attempted executions occurring in the Amazon area.
• The Brazilian government under Jair Bolsonaro has systematically dismantled environmental protections to favor transnational corporations (TNCs). Actions include cutting the National Indigenous Foundation’s (FUNAI) budget by 90%, dismissing the director of the National Space Research Agency (INPE), and transferring environmental inspection decisions in Amazonia to the military.
• The MercoSur-European Union Free Trade Agreement is expected to intensify the climate crisis and deforestation. A study by Grain indicates that the FTA's impact on eight specific agricultural products—including beef, soybean, and ethanol—would increase global greenhouse gas emissions by 8.7 million tons per year, with nearly 30% resulting from land-use changes and deforestation.
• The MercoSur-EU FTA creates legal loopholes that undermine environmental and health safety. Specifically, the Precautionary Principle cannot be used to block products with excessive pesticide levels from entering Europe, which may increase the volume of pesticide residues permitted and boost sales of European pesticides to Brazil.
• The report identifies a network of corporate complicity in Amazonian destruction, highlighting that 13 of the 25 worst destroyers of the Brazilian Amazon are large businesses, primarily in the steel and industrial livestock sectors. It specifically mentions JBS as the world's largest animal protein producer, noting that British supermarkets have sold meat originating from JBS, which in turn sourced cattle from ranches fined for illegal deforestation.
• Infrastructure projects designed to export low-value-added goods, such as the BR-163 highway and the 'GrainTrain' railroad, drive the agricultural frontier deeper into the Amazon. These projects often violate ILO Convention 169 by failing to obtain the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous and traditional communities.
• The report emphasizes that women are disproportionately affected by the capitalist and energy-production models in Amazonia. In Altamira, Para, women affected by the Belo Monte Mega-Dam faced specific hardships regarding water access and were forced into common-law marriages to secure housing rights.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2020). BURNING aMAZONia A GLOBAL CORPORATE CRIME. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Burning-Amazonia_Friends-of-the-Earth-International_EN.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. BURNING aMAZONia A GLOBAL CORPORATE CRIME. 2020. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Burning-Amazonia_Friends-of-the-Earth-International_EN.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=BURNING aMAZONia A GLOBAL CORPORATE CRIME |date=2020 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Burning-Amazonia_Friends-of-the-Earth-International_EN.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternational2020burning, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{BURNING aMAZONia A GLOBAL CORPORATE CRIME}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2020}, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Burning-Amazonia_Friends-of-the-Earth-International_EN.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }