Amazon Slash-and-Burn Surge (Late 20th Century)
Smoke darkens skies across South America each burning season as rainforest becomes ranchland. Government policies encouraged forest conversion through tax incentives and land grants. Indigenous communities faced violent displacement from ancestral territories. Carbon released from burning accelerates climate change globally. Countless species lose habitat annually. The destruction continues despite international concern. Short-term economic gain drives environmental destruction with global consequences that will last centuries.
