of a much greater magnitude."

的規模更大。"

"The destruction of the Amazon rainforest."

"亞馬遜雨林的破壞。"

"A worldwide disaster."

"一場世界性的災難。"

In the 1980s, the world learned that the Amazon was in danger.

20世紀80年代，全世界都知道亞馬遜河處於危險之中。

"Trees are falling at a startling rate..."

"樹木正在以驚人的速度倒下..."

"77,000 square miles..."

"77,000平方英里..."

"... an area twice the size of Belgium..."

"...面積是比利時的兩倍..."

"...the size of New York State..."

"......紐約州的大小......"

"...the size of California, disappears."

"... ...加州的大小，消失了。"

And why it was so important to save it.

以及為什麼要救它。

"One-fifth of the oxygen we breathe."

"我們呼吸的氧氣的五分之一。"

"20% of the world's fresh water."

"世界上20%的淡水。"

"Half of the species of life on earth is in these forests."

"地球上一半的生命物種都在這些森林裡"

"...An ecosystem the entire world needs for its survival."

"......整個世界的生存所需的生態系統。"

By the 1990s, it seemed like it was too late.

到了90年代，似乎為時已晚。

"The destruction accelerates."

"毀滅加速"。

"More than twice as fast as previously believed."

"比之前認為的速度快了一倍多。"

"Virtually impossible to control."

"幾乎無法控制。"

"Once it is gone, it is gone forever."

"一旦消失了，就永遠消失了。"

Then, something changed:

然後，事情發生了變化。

"The annual destruction rate of the Amazon rainforest has dropped...

"亞馬遜雨林的年破壞率已經下降... ...

...by 70%."

......70%"。

"The lowest rate of deforestation since records began."

"有記錄以來最低的森林砍伐率"

"The Amazon could achieve the end of deforestation.

"亞馬遜可以實現森林砍伐的終結。

A huge accomplishment."

一個巨大的成就。"

But in order to keep it safe, there was one condition:

但為了保證安全，有一個條件。

"Protecting the forest is a continual process."

"保護森林是一個持續的過程"。

"Brazil will need to stay vigilant."

"巴西將需要保持警惕。"

But it didn't.

但它沒有。

"The Amazon is burning."

"亞馬遜河在燃燒"

"Consumed by fire."

"被火吞噬"

"Fires have been raging."

"火勢洶洶。"

"Thousands of fires are blazing..."

"成千上萬的火在燃燒..."

"...as more and more trees are cut down."

"... ... 隨著越來越多的樹木被砍伐。"

"Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest hit its highest rate in a decade."

"亞馬遜雨林的森林砍伐速度創下十年來的最高紀錄。"

Today, the Amazon is being destroyed, all over again.

今天，亞馬遜河又被破壞了。

The question is:

問題是：

Can it be saved this time?

這次能救嗎？

The first wave of deforestation started in the 1970s.

第一波毀林潮始於20世紀70年代。

That's when Brazil's military regime saw the potential for profit deep in the Amazon.

這時，巴西的軍事政權看到了亞馬遜深處的潛在利潤。

There were almost 5 million square kilometers of rainforest filled with natural resources.

有近500萬平方公里的雨林，充滿了自然資源。

"Amazonia's ores and minerals,

"亞馬遜的礦石和礦物；

food, fiber, and forest resources are vast."

食物、纖維和森林資源豐富"。

But most of it was inaccessible.

但大部分是無法進入的。

So the government started building the Trans-Amazonian Highway

於是政府開始修建跨亞馬遜公路

an ambitious project that would

一個雄心勃勃的項目，將

run for 3200 kilometers connecting remote parts of the rainforest.

跑了3200公里，連接雨林的偏遠地區。

At the time, most of Brazil's population lived in the southeast; in cities like

當時，巴西的大部分人口都生活在東南部；在城市中，如

Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.

里約熱內盧和聖保羅。

And the government wanted to move people out here - to cultivate the land and grow the economy.

而政府也想把人遷到這裡來--開墾土地，發展經濟。

So they offered free land along the highway and paid Brazilians to settle deeper in the rainforest.

於是，他們提供公路沿線的免費土地，並支付巴西人到雨林深處定居。

And they sparked a land rush.

而他們引發了一場搶地盤的熱潮。

As the road advanced, settlers followed, rapidly clearing the forest around it.

隨著道路的推進，定居者們也緊隨其後，迅速清理了周圍的森林。

Most of them turned the land into pasture, where they raised cows to sell as beef.

他們中的大多數人把土地變成了牧場，在那裡養牛當牛肉賣。

And when these ranchers needed more land, they seized another plot, cleared it, and moved their cattle in.

而當這些牧場主需要更多的土地時，他們就會搶佔另一塊地，清理土地，然後把牛群搬進去。

This expansion deeper into the Amazon drove up deforestation.

這種向亞馬遜深處的擴張促使森林砍伐加劇。

Between 1978 and 1988, an average of over 20,000 square kilometers were cut down each year.

1978年至1988年，平均每年砍伐2萬多平方公里。

Over time this area became known as the Arc of Deforestation.

隨著時間的推移，這個地區被稱為 "森林之弧"。

And soon, a different product pushed this even further.

而很快，一款不同的產品將這一點推得更遠。

People around the world were eating more meat, decade after decade.

全世界的人都在吃更多的肉，十幾年過去了。

That trend raised the need for more soybeans; which served as high-protein feed for farmed animals.

這種趨勢提高了對更多大豆的需求；大豆作為養殖動物的高蛋白飼料。

This created a huge opportunity for countries most suitable for growing soybeans,

這給最適合種植大豆的國家帶來了巨大的機遇。

and Brazil cashed in.

和巴西兌現了。

Soybean exports from Brazil shot up in the mid '90s, boosting the economy.

90年代中期，巴西的大豆出口猛增，促進了經濟的發展。

By the early 2000s, farmers took over these pastures and turned them into massive soy farms.

到了2000年代初，農民們接管了這些牧場，並把它們變成了大規模的大豆農場。

Like this one, in Acre state.

像這個，在阿克里州。

And the ranchers who sold their pastures, moved their cattle further into the rainforest,

而那些賣掉牧場的牧民，則把牛群移到更遠的雨林裡。

clearing more of the Amazon, often illegally.

清理更多的亞馬遜地區，往往是非法的。

This aggressive expansion created a profitable pattern in the Amazon.

這種積極的擴張創造了亞馬遜的盈利模式。

But it came at the cost of the rainforest.

但這是以雨林為代價的。

By the early 2000s, Brazil's beef and soy industries were driving a booming economy,

到了2000年代初，巴西的牛肉和大豆產業帶動了經濟的蓬勃發展。

as well as unprecedented rates of deforestation...

以及前所未有的森林砍伐速度......。

Which caused this arc to expand further north.

導致這條弧線進一步向北擴展。

The staggering deforestation in the Amazon attracted fierce resistance from environmental groups.

亞馬遜地區驚人的森林砍伐行為，引來了環保組織的激烈抵制。

"An area of ancient forest, the size of a football field

"一片古老的森林，有一個足球場那麼大。

is destroyed every two seconds."

每兩秒就會被摧毀。"

The Brazilian government, under president Lula da Silva, finally stepped in.

巴西政府在總統盧拉-達席爾瓦的上司下，終於出手了。

This is Marina Silva.

我是瑪麗娜-席爾瓦。

She was Brazil's Environment Minister in 2003, when she helped craft a plan to stop deforestation.

她在2003年擔任巴西環境部長，當時她幫助制定了一項停止砍伐森林的計劃。

It started with the government expanding the amount of rainforest under protection.

首先是政府擴大雨林的保護量。

At the time, only about 28% was protected, and there was very little oversight.

當時只保護了28%左右，很少有監督。

But this new plan added more reserves, where business activities were strictly banned,

但這個新的計劃增加了更多的儲備，嚴禁商業活動。

and also created more sustainable-use reserves, where some businesses,

並還建立了更多的可持續利用儲備，一些企業。

like Brazillian nut harvesting and rubber-tapping, which didn't destroy the rainforest, were allowed.

像巴西堅果採摘和橡膠挖掘，沒有破壞雨林，被允許。

More land was also demarcated for indigenous people, who preserved the forest.

還為土著人劃定了更多的土地，他們保護了森林。

Over time, hundreds of new protected lands were added, transforming the Amazon into a

隨著時間的推移，又增加了數百個新的保護地，使亞馬遜河變成了一個新的保護地。

shared and sustainable space.

共享和可持續的空間。

Eventually, almost half the Amazon would be put under some form of protection,

最終，幾乎一半的亞馬遜地區將被置於某種形式的保護之下。

while the rest of it remained a mix of pasture, farms and rainforest.

而其餘的地方仍然是牧場、農場和雨林的混合體。

To prevent further deforestation here, the government strengthened the Forest Code:

為了防止這裡的森林被進一步砍伐，政府加強了《森林法》。

which said landowners could only clear 20% of their private land.

其中說，地主只能清理20%的私人土地。

This law was monitored by the Forest Service, which was part of the Environmental Ministry,

這部法律由環境部下屬的林業局負責監督。

which had jurisdiction over all of these protected lands.

它對所有這些受保護的土地擁有管轄權。

And the key to enforcing this entire plan was strengthening IBAMA:

而執行這整個計劃的關鍵是加強IBAMA。

a police agency that would track and fine people for illegal deforestation.

建立一個警察機構，對非法砍伐森林的人進行跟蹤和罰款；

And the plan showed results:

而這個計劃也顯示出了效果。

with deforestation rates falling by more than half in 2006.

2006年，森林砍伐率下降了一半以上；

At the same time, an activist movement was forcing the agricultural industry

與此同時，一場積極的運動正在迫使農業產業

to make a change.

來改變。

Major food companies started feeling pressure from consumers for participating in deforestation.

各大食品公司開始因為參與砍伐森林而感受到來自消費者的壓力。

So several got together, and in 2006, signed a Soy Moratorium: which meant they could continue to operate

於是，幾個人聚在一起，在2006年簽署了一份《大豆暫停令》：這意味著他們可以繼續經營。

within existing farms, but they wouldn't buy soy from any newly deforested land in the Amazon.

在現有農場內，但他們不會從亞馬遜地區任何新砍伐的土地上購買大豆。

Three years later, beef companies signed a similar agreement.

三年後，牛肉企業也簽訂了類似的協議。

Other countries also gave Brazil money to help it protect the Amazon.

其他國家也給巴西錢，幫助它保護亞馬遜河。

Under all this protection, deforestation rates plummeted to historic lows.

在所有這些保護下，森林砍伐率急劇下降到歷史最低點。

And yet, Brazil's soy and beef industries continued to grow, thanks to more efficient techniques:

然而，得益於更高效的技術，巴西的大豆和牛肉產業繼續增長。

Ranchers started growing crops on their existing pastures.

牧場主開始在現有的牧場上種植農作物。

And farmers planted two crops a year on their land instead of one.

而農民在自己的土地上一年種兩茬而不是一茬。

Brazil had found a way make to Amazon both productive, and protected.

巴西已經找到了一種方法，使亞馬遜既能生產，又能保護。

But there were some who still wanted it to be a more profitable place.

但也有一些人還是希望它能成為一個更賺錢的地方。

The ruralistas, a group of conservative politicians who represent the interests of the agricultural industry,

農村主義者，是代表農業產業利益的保守派政治家群體。

including farmers and ranchers, started gaining influence in Brazil.

包括農民和農場主，開始在巴西獲得影響力。

In the early 2000s they had about 17% of the seats in congress.

在2000年初，他們在國會中擁有約17%的席位。

But by 2012 they had about 30%...

但到了2012年，他們有30%的...

Enough power to push President Dilma Rousseff to weaken the Forest Code,

足夠的權力推動總統迪爾瑪-羅塞夫削弱《森林法》。

which allowed landowners to get away with clearing more land.

這使得土地所有者可以擺脫更多的土地清理。

In 2016, they pushed President Michel Temer to slash IBAMA's budget.

2016年，他們推動總統米歇爾-特梅爾削減IBAMA的預算。

They also helped him pass a law that made it easier for people who illegally seized

他們還幫助他通過了一項法律，讓非法扣押的人更容易。

land in the Amazon, to keep it.

在亞馬遜的土地上，為了保持。

These changes emboldened some people to seize and clear the rainforest again.

這些變化讓一些人有恃無恐，再次搶佔和清理雨林。

And that led to a rise in deforestation rates.

而這也導致了森林砍伐率的上升。

In 2018, as the ruralistas controlled 44% of Congress,

2018年，由於農村派控制了國會44%的席位。

Jair Bolsonaro, a right-wing congressman and ally to the ruralistas, was elected president.

右翼國會議員、農村主義者的盟友Jair Bolsonaro當選總統。

On his second day in office, he transferred the forest service, which monitors the

他上任的第二天，就把負責監督的林業局調走了。

forest code, to the agricultural ministry - led by a ruralista.

森林法，到農業部--由一個農村主義者上司。

He's also worked to systematically weaken the Environmental Ministry.

他還致力於系統地削弱環保部。

Under Bolsonaro, deforestation has increased significantly in 2019,

在博爾索納羅的帶領下，2019年的森林砍伐量大幅增加。

most of it taking place in these protected areas.

大部分發生在這些保護區內。

Setting fires is a common way to clear land...

放火是一種常見的清理土地的方式... ...

And in August 2019, over 30,000 fires were burning in the Amazon:

而在2019年8月，亞馬遜地區有超過3萬起火災在燃燒。

Three times as many as in August 2018.

是2018年8月的3倍。

Many set illegally by ranchers, farmers, and landowners, emboldened by the government's new stance on the Amazon.

許多是由牧場主、農民和地主非法設置的，由於政府對亞馬遜的新姿態而變得膽大妄為。

But this time, the Amazon is unlikely to survive another wave of deforestation.

但這一次，亞馬遜河不太可能在另一波森林砍伐中倖存下來。

In the last 50 years, it's estimated that about 17% of the Amazon has been deforested.

在過去的50年裡，據估計約有17%的亞馬遜森林被砍伐。

A 2018 report estimated that, if it reaches 20-25%, the whole rainforest could start to collapse.

2018年的一份報告估計，如果達到20-25%，整個雨林就會開始崩潰。

It wouldn't be enough to cycle all the water it needs, causing trees to die.

它所需要的水就不夠循環了，導致樹木死亡。

And that would release a huge amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, further warming the planet.

而這將釋放出大量的二氧化碳到大氣中，進一步使地球變暖。

But in Brazil, many politicians and agricultural businesses continue to ignore the science

但在巴西，許多政治家和農業企業繼續忽視科學

for the sake of profit.

為了利益，。

Clearing the Amazon for short-term gains overlooks the fact

清理亞馬遜河以獲取短期收益，卻忽略了一個事實------。

that the planet as we know it wouldn't exist without this rainforest.

如果沒有這片雨林，我們所知道的地球就不會存在。

It's why this place was saved once before.

所以之前才會救了這裡一次。

Thanks for watching this special edition of Vox Atlas.

感謝收看本期的Vox Atlas特別節目。

This is one of three that we produced on the Amazon.

這是我們在亞馬遜上製作的三個之一。

And this one was about the drivers of deforestation and

而這一次是關於砍伐森林的驅動因素和。

and some of the Brazilian politics surrounding the current crisis today.

以及圍繞當今危機的一些巴西政治。

In the next one we're going to take a step back in the history

在下一篇文章中，我們將回顧一下歷史上的

We're going to meet a man named Chico Mendes

我們要去見一個叫奇科-門德斯的人。

who led the original fight to save the Amazon, back in the 1980s.

早在上世紀80年代，他就上司了拯救亞馬遜的原始鬥爭。

His story is super interesting and very relevant to today.

他的故事超級有趣，對今天非常有意義。

So make sure to come back and watch more Vox Atlas in the Amazon.

所以一定要回來看更多亞馬遜的Vox Atlas。