US initiative targets environmental crimes in Amazonia

Significance The initiative aims to support efforts to disrupt so-called nature crimes, such as those causing devastation in the Amazon rainforest. It calls for global efforts to curb environmental destruction at a time of rising concerns about the widespread impacts of fires and smoke over different biomes in Brazil. Impacts The exclusion of some countries is likely to undermine the initiative’s effectiveness. Lack of coordination and cooperation among the countries involved may remain an obstacle to curbing nature crimes. The recent combination of drought and fires, many of them set deliberately, is likely to become more frequent.