One-third of the areas affected by criminal fires in the Amazon were targeted for illegal deforestation between 2015 and 2017, according to MPF

A survey by experts from the Federal Prosecutor's Office (MPF) of Brazil, linked to the Amazon Protects Project (Projeto Amazônia Protege), indicates that one-third of the areas illegally deforested and mapped by the agency this year were burned between 2015 and 2017. Those areas correspond to a total of 170 thousand hectares. 

According to MPF experts, fire is being used in 2019 to consolidate or expand old deforestation.

According to a study by Human Rights Watch, the Amazon is a region marked by the presence of criminal organizations, violence, and impunity. The study cataloged bullying episodes involving illegal deforestation.

Human Rights Watch's work points to cases of killings of activists fighting for forest preservation and sustainable agriculture. One such case is Gilson Temponi, president of a farmers' association in Placas (PA), who was shot at home in December 2018, according to the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo.

According to the Human Rights Watch report, in the last 10 years, there have been over 300 people killed in the Amazon alone. Mostly local leaders and environmental advocates. All killed violently. The report points to a region dominated by illegal logging and the omission of authorities.

Petrobras shares (PETR3; PETR4) may be highlighted in the coming days at Bovespa (B3)

According to Credit Suisse, Petrobras (PETR3; PETR4) could benefit from the soaring oil prices. This may benefit the company, but Petrobras may also raise fuel prices in Brazil.

Meanwhile, according to the Relatório Reservado website, the Russian company Acron broke Petrobras' monopoly on gas. The group, which bought the state's own nitrogenous unit in Três Lagoas (MS), will be heavily involved in the acquisition of the input directly from Bolivia, without intermediaries. Gas is the highest estimated cost of the venture, whose works will still be completed by Acron.

Today, Petrobras reported that the FPSO P-68 platform left the Jurong Aracruz shipyard for the Berbigão and Sururu fields in the Santos basin pre-salt in São Paulo. The Brazilian state anticipates that the start of production of FPSO P-68 will occur in the fourth quarter of 2019, according to a statement published today (16.09.2019).

Brazil continues to burn: fire destroys an environmental protection area in Alter do Chão, at the state of Pará, in the Amazon region

A major fire that struck an area of environmental protection in the Ponta das Pedras community in the municipality of Santarém, in Alter do Chão, one of Pará's main tourist destinations, prompted the government of the northern state of Brazil to urgently request that Northern Military Command send aircrafts and National Force reinforcements to assist in combat near the village of Alter do Chão.

The fire gained great proportions yesterday. Today, the forest known as Capadócia, struck by fire, is targeted by the Fire Department, in partnership with the Northern Military Command of the Brazilian Army. The fire has been controlled.

Meanwhile, fires in the Brazilian Midwest cause millionaire damage to farmers. Because of the burnings, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul declared an emergency situation hoping to receive more assistance from the federal government.

In this region affected by the fires is also located the Pantanal, the largest continuous floodplain in the world. Since January, Corumbá, the largest city in the Pantanal, has recorded over 3,100 fire outbreaks.

Fight against deforestation in Brazil decreases under the government of Jair Bolsonaro

Ibama inspectors, the body responsible for environmental protection in Brazil, applied fewer warnings and fines for flora infringement until the end of August 2019 in the Legal Amazon. In Brazil, fires caused by human action or deforestation are crimes against flora, as well as the sale of illegal timber.

According to a report made by the gazetaweb site and the G1 site, servers that fight environmental crimes in Brazil say that the embargoes are not respected and that Ibama is weakened in the current administration.

The problem of environmental destruction in Brazil is not restricted to the Amazon region. Last week, the Cerrado and the Pantanal were also the targets of the same problem.

Last Thursday, the government of Mato Grosso do Sul decreed a state of emergency after more than 1 million hectares were consumed by fire.

According to Exame magazine, data from the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) burnings show that the Pantanal closed August with 4,660 fire outbreaks, 235% more than in the same period last year and 50% more. than the historical average between 1998 and 2018.

According to the Brazilian Central Bank, Brazil's GDP in July 2019 fell 0.16% over the previous month

The Brazilian Central Bank Economic Activity Index (IBC-Br), considered a kind of informal "preview" of Brazil's GDP, fell by 0.16% in July 2019, compared to June of the same year. This is the worst result for the month in the last three years.

In the first seven months of 2019, Brazil's GDP registered growth in just two months, May (1.16%) and June (0.34%). All other months of 2019 showed negative numbers.

According to the Focus Bulletin, a survey conducted by the Brazilian Central Bank, the financial market forecast for 2019 GDP is 0.87%.

Brazilian services and commerce sectors surprise with unexpected growth but do not recover losses in the year, according to IBGE

According to the Monthly Survey of Services, released by IBGE today (12.09.2019), there was a 0.8% growth in the service sector between June and July 2019, in Brazil. Analysts and economists expected growth of around 0.4%. This is the best result since December 2018. However, despite this slight recovery, Brazil's services sector is still 11.8% below the record reached in May 2014 and 1.2% lower than December last year.

Another sector that posted positive numbers this week was the Commerce sector in Brazil. According to the Monthly Trade Survey, released by IBGE, retail sales in Brazil increased 1% in July, compared to June, and had the third positive month in a row. It is the best result for July since 2013 when the advance was 2.7%.

This scenario reinforces the projections that bet on more cuts in the basic interest rate in Brazil, Selic, by the Brazilian Central Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (Copom) in the coming months.

The first days of September 2019 in Brazil are marked by 7,304 fire outbreaks in the Cerrado and 6,200 in the Amazon rainforest

According to data from the Bank of the Burn Program, of the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), indicate that the Cerrado surpassed the Amazon in the number of fire outbreaks in Brazil.

The main causes, according to experts, are fires caused by human action and those that spread due to the heatwave that affects the Cerrado region in recent days.

The Cerrado, the second largest biome in South America, is rich in biodiversity. Nearly 12,000 species of plants have been identified, along with thousands of different types of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, butterflies, and other animals. Despite its undeniable importance, according to the Ministry of Environment, only about 8% of the Cerrado is legally protected by protected areas.

Increasing sales of electric cars in Europe lead Volkswagen to shift its combustion engine production to Brazil and Argentina

Motivated by the wave of electrification of European cars, Volkswagen decided to transfer part of its production of combustion engines from Germany to factories in San Carlos, in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Cordoba, Argentina, where the electric car segment still crawling, according to Pablo Di Si, president of the automaker for South America.

This shows that while the global automotive industry is going towards its "electrification", Brazil's automotive market still has few electric car models. There are currently 4 electric models and some hybrids. This means that the Brazilian market will lag behind the industry's technological innovations for some time.

Thus, we will continue driving excessively expensive cars that pollute the environment for years to come.

IBGE indicates that Brazil should have a record harvest of 239.8 million tons in 2019

According to the IBGE Systematic Survey on Agricultural Production, the August estimate for the 2019 crop points to a new record in grain production in Brazil. If the forecast of 239.8 million tons of grain is confirmed, it will exceed by 1.4 million tons the record obtained for the 2017 harvest. In 2018, production was 226.5 million tons.

The expectation of a larger harvest of second-crop corn increased the forecast for the national grain crop in 2019.

Brazil is expected to produce 7.2 million tonnes of winter cereals this year, with 80.8% of this total wheat (5.8 million tonnes). Oats account for 13.7% (985.6 thousand tons), and barley 5.5% (391.6 thousand tons).

According to Inpe, Brazil today has over 100,000 outbreaks of fire

Brazil has exceeded 100,000 outbreaks of fire, according to Inpe. In the municipality of Chapada dos Guimarães, army firefighters, brigade members, and military combat three major fires. One of them, inside the National Park.

A survey by the Acre Environment Secretariat in partnership with the Federal University of Acre (Ufac) Gamma Laboratory reports that the state in northern Brazil, in the Amazon region, had more than 27,000 hectares of degraded areas this year with burned.

Between January and August 2019 alone, more than 46,000 outbreaks of fires were recorded in the Amazon, an increase of over 100% over the same period in 2018.

The wave of out-of-control fires is not restricted to Brazil. In Paraguay, the fires produced destruction and a smokescreen that covered the Brazilian city of Ponta Pora. Today there are at least 2,580 fire outbreaks in various regions of Paraguay, 150 km from the Brazilian border.

Retailers lose value at Bovespa (B3) after Amazon Prime launches in Brazil; Shares of B2W (BTOW3), Lojas Americanas (LAME4), and Magazine Luiza (MGLU3) fall

There is a scenario of short-term pressure on the Brazilian Stock Exchange related to Brazilian retail companies. With the start of Amazon Prime direct sales in the country, stocks of Brazilian retailers were the worst performers of the benchmark index of the Brazilian stock market, the Ibovespa.

B2W, Lojas Americanas, and Magazine Luiza were among the biggest losses yesterday. Today this scenario can be repeated. Therefore, the launch of Amazon Prime will bring volatility to the stocks of e-commerce companies in Brazil in the short term.

Amazon Prime came to the Brazilian retail market offering free shipping, movies, and music for $ 89 a year or $ 9.90 a month. Which will give you access to Prime Video, Prime Music and Twitch Prime.

What most stood out in the media was the announcement of free delivery of Amazon Prime to the capitals of the Southeast and South of Brazil, as well as Brasilia and Goiania. Amazon will also offer express shipping at no additional charge from 2 business days, with no minimum purchase value, for products sold under the Prime seal.