Elon Musk in talks with Brazil on monitoring Amazon rainforest deforestation, wildfires

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has offered to monitor the deforestation and increasing wildfires in the Amazon rainforest with the help of satellite technology in collaboration with the Brazilian government. At an event held in Austin, Texas, the world’s richest man Musk held a meeting with the Minister of Communications for President Jair Bolsonaro’s government wherein he emphasised how he can put to use advanced technologies with respect to his businesses Starlink Inc, and Space Explorations Technologies Corp., to surveil the world’s largest Amazon rainforests. Brazil’s minister of communication Fabio Faria and American entrepreneur Elon Musk also spoke about introducing fast internet connectivity in the rural areas to enable schools, health centres, and indigenous communities to access the web services. 

In a footage posted by the Brazilian minister on his Twitter handle, Musk can be heard saying, “We’re looking forward to providing connectivity to basically the least served people in Brazil.” Faria, meanwhile, wrote: “Did you think we would stop with the 5G auction?”

Faria wrote. “No! Now we will look for companies dealing with innovation to invest in Brazil. We want the country to be the Latin American innovation hub for 5G.”

4,500 Starlink satellites can 'monitor' Amazon's wildfires 

Brazil’s communication minister stated that more than 4,500 Starlink satellites that orbit at low altitudes can be used to monitor the wildfires in the world’s largest reserve of flora and fauna Amazon rainforest. He emphasised the significance of the future collaboration project saying that Musk’s technologies can help suppress the illegal fires caused in the vast forest stretches and keep a check on deforestation. A study conducted by the Amazon Geo-Referenced Socio-Environmental Information (RAISG) network had shockingly revealed that the deforestation rate in Amazon rainforests has increased exponentially over the past few years. About 8% of the forest area has been wiped out completely in a matter of 18 years. 

An area bigger than Spain has been destroyed in the Amazon forest due to deforestation, the study further elaborated. According to the predictions of scientist Robert Walker, the world’s largest tropical rainforest, the Amazon rainforest will vanish by 2064 due to alarming levels of deforestation and droughts occurring in the region from climate change. In the journal 'Environment', Walker warned that 2.3 million square miles in South Africa will be wiped clean in 43 years as it is currently standing on a ‘tipping point’. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has also faced condemnation over his management of the Amazon forest reserve, and it was reported that he could face charges in the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his bulldozing environmental policies on the rainforest that threatens both the indigenous community and the forest area. 

Image: Twitter/@fabiofaria