The relationship between rural credit and deforestation in three Amazon states

The climate crisis is already part of people's daily lives. Measures to mitigate climate change need to be adopted urgently. 22% of greenhouse gas emissions are from agriculture, forestry, or other land use. 6% of Brazil's GDP comes from agriculture. To encourage this activity, banks provide rural credit at lower interest rates. However, we identified some landowners receiving rural credit and committing deforestation. Of 630 thousand rural properties in Rondônia, Pará, and Mato Grosso, more than 37 thousand received more than 17 billion ($BRL). They committed more than 8 thousand km² of deforestation between 2008 and 2023, representing 8.5% of all deforestation in that period. The method presented here can help environmental and financial agencies monitor deforestation and loans.