Forest fires ravaged 70,000 square kilometers of Amazon rainforest in 2019, releasing dangerous levels of PM2.5 particulate matter into the atmosphere. These microscopic particles, measuring 2.5 micrometers or smaller, penetrate deep into human lung tissue. A research team from the University of Bonn and Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais has quantified how forest protection measures reduce these harmful emissions and save lives. The team examined municipalities along Brazil’s Amazon biome boundary, where three key protection policies took effect in 2006. “We have thus investigated to what extent forest protection measures affect the health of people living in the corresponding regions,” … Continue reading Amazon Conservation Measures Reduced Deadly Air Pollution by 7%, Preventing 680 Annual Deaths.