Aereal view of an area deforestated by soybean farmers in Novo Progreso, Para, Brazil, in this September, 2004 file photo. Deforestation in the Amazon rain forest in 2004 was the second worst on record, figures released by the Brazilian government showed. Satellite photos and data showed that ranchers, soybean farmers and loggers burned and cut down a near-record area of 26,130 square kilometers (10,088 square miles) of rain forest in the 12 months ending in August 2004, the Brazilian Environmental Ministry said Wednesday.The destruction was nearly 6 percent higher than in the same period the year before, when 24,600 square kilometers (9,500 square miles) were destroyed. (AP Photo/Alberto Cesar-GREENPEACE/HO) Photo: ALBERTO CESAR-GREENPEACE
Sugar cane industry adds weight to Brazil's renewable charge
The Brazilian Sugar Cane Industry Association is calling for Brazil to be a world leader in climate change negotiations and to assure measures against deforestation in the Amazon.