Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro and Environment Minister Joaquim Leite both knew the Amazon region’s annual deforestation rate had surged before the UN climate talks in Glasgow but kept results quiet to avoid hampering negotiations, according to three Cabinet Ministers who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

22 per cent rise

Data from the National Institute for Space Research’s Prodes monitoring system released Thursday showed the Amazon lost 13,235 square kilometers (5,110 square miles) of rainforest in the 12-month reference period from August 2020 to July 2021. That’s up 22 per cent from the prior 12-month period and the worst in 15 years.

The three Ministers as well as a coordinator at the space institute that compiles the data — all of whom spoke with AP on condition of anonymity due to concern about reprisals — said the annual deforestation report was available on the government’s information system before talks in Glasgow began on October 31.

Also see: Brazil’s Amazon deforestation surges to worst in 15 years

Six days before that, at a meeting in the presidential palace, Bolsonaro and several Ministers discussed the 2020-2021 deforestation results and determined they wouldn’t be released until after the climate conference said the three ministers, two of whom were present.

Recover credibility

Later that same day, the government launched a program to promote green development. Official speeches resembled a dress rehearsal for efforts to project responsible environmental stewardship at Glasgow after two years of historically elevated deforestation.

One of the two ministers who participated in the earlier meeting said the decision to withhold data was part of a strategy to recover environmental credibility abroad. This wasn’t an intent to lie, the person said, but rather a means to highlight positive developments, particularly year-on-year declines seen in preliminary deforestation data for July and August from the so-called Deter monitoring system.

Deter monitoring system

Bolsonaro highlighted that same data when speaking at the UN General assembly in September. The Deter system in the two months since, however, has shown significant year-on-year increases.

Deter data is released monthly and considered a leading indicator for complete calculations from the more accurate Prodes system, which is based on clearer images and released once yearly. Prodes generally tracks with the Deter data.

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Following release of the Prodes data on Thursday, Leite told reporters that the data doesn’t reflect the government’s heightened engagement in recent months. He led the Brazilian delegation to the UN climate summit.

Bolsonaro, who has long championed development of the Amazon including the mining of Indigenous territories, skipped Glasgow altogether after attending the G20 meeting in Rome.

The press offices of the Environment Ministry and Presidency didn’t respond to AP emails asking when Leite and Bolsonaro were made aware of the 2020-2021 deforestation data nor why its publication was delayed.

Brazil’s carbon commitments

In Glasgow, Leite announced Brazil’s commitment to zero illegal deforestation by 2028, up two years from the prior goal, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50 per cent by 2030 as compared to 2005 levels. US climate envoy John Kerry welcomed the announcements.

“This adds crucial momentum to the global movement to combat the #ClimateCrisis,” Kerry posted on Twitter. “Looking forward to working together!” The latter goal has generated criticism that a recent change made to the nation’s 2005 baseline means the supposed stepped-up commitment is roughly equal to a previous pledge.

Leite also met with dozens of negotiators from other nations during the summit, seeking financing to expand Brazil’s environmental protection capabilities. He repeatedly said developed countries need to contribute significantly more funds to poorer nations to aid their effective transition to greener economies.

The summit ran until November 12.

Environmental watchdogs

Following release of the Prodes data on Thursday, the report’s October 27 date instantly drew the attention of environmental watchdogs who had accused the government of greenwashing during COP26.

“There should be sanctions. Brazil assumed a posture of lying during COP, trying to sell itself as a sustainable country but deforestation is out of control,” Cristiane Mazzetti, forest campaigner for Greenpeace Brazil, said by phone. “We had already sounded the alert before that leaders shouldn’t buy the empty promises of a government that has acted proactively to weaken environmental protection.”

Also see: Lack of finance may jeopardise climate pledges: BASIC nations

The episode also underscores a lack of transparency and the dismantling of environmental governance, according to Izabella Teixeira, a former Environment Minister under the Workers’ Party that opposes Bolsonaro.

“The Environment Minister went to a climate meeting to offer Brazil’s new commitment that was immediately contradicted by the results of government policy,” Teixeira said.

Bolsonaro made no direct comment on the Prodes deforestation data but the presidency’s Twitter account posted a series of comments on Friday that heralded the government’s environmental goals.

“Preserving and protecting our biomes is the federal government’s commitment and investments are constant,” one said. “The REAL Brazil is green and will remain so. Share the truth!”