Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday called for tighter control of official deforestation data, resuming attacks on government space research agency INPE, whose satellite imaging shows a jump in clearing of the Amazon rainforest this year.
Bolsonaro, who on Friday accused INPE of falsifying data, added that data should be shown first to a member of his cabinet before being disclosed publicly. Mid-July INPE data showed Amazon deforestation hitting the fastest pace in years, raising red flags for a trade deal with the European Union.