Brazilian officials announced a sharp drop in deforestation rates on Thursday, directly challenging one of the arguments the Trump administration used to justify additional tariffs on the South American country. According to data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and the Ministry of Environment, deforestation in the Amazon fell by 61.4% in May 2026 compared to the same month in 2025.
Despite this progress, 370 square kilometers (nearly 143 square miles) of rainforest were still cleared. In the Cerrado, a central Brazilian savanna under pressure from agribusiness, deforestation fell by 12% over the same period.
Environment Minister João Paulo Capobianco stated that this is the lowest deforestation figure ever recorded for May, a month that typically sees higher clearing due to the start of the Amazon's dry season. He added that Brazil is on track to achieve its lowest annual deforestation levels once data is consolidated next semester.
Over the ten months from August 2025 to May 2026, Amazon deforestation dropped by 37.5% compared to the same period a year earlier.
The announcement comes just days after the Trump administration proposed 25% tariffs on imports from Brazil on June 2, citing what it called unreasonable trade practices that burden U.S. commerce.
The U.S. Trade Representative's investigation had accused Brazil of illegal deforestation and unfair tariffs.
Capobianco said the new deforestation figures "debunk the unfair and unfounded accusation by the United States, which cited deforestation to justify imposing tariffs."
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who nodded in agreement during the minister's remarks, accused the Trump administration of lying when it first imposed additional tariffs last year, claiming a trade deficit. "And now they raised questions about deforestation.
They don’t understand the work we are doing to bring deforestation down to zero by 2030," Lula said. He emphasized that this goal is a national decision, not one driven by international climate conferences, and that preventing deforestation benefits Brazil, the Amazon, and the world.
Deforestation is the leading source of Brazil's greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to global warming. The Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, plays a critical role in regulating climate beyond South America.
Scientists warn that forest loss could accelerate global warming and disrupt agriculture as far away as the U.S. Midwest and parts of Europe.
After reaching record levels in the 1990s and 2000s, deforestation declined until the 2019-2022 term of former President Jair Bolsonaro, whose government was criticized for weakening environmental protections. Under Lula, deforestation has fallen again, reaching its lowest level in a decade last year.
However, other threats such as climate change, wildfires, logging, and drought continue to put the forest at risk. Forest degradation now affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years.
This year's strong El Niño, which brings higher temperatures and drier weather to the rainforest, could exacerbate these conditions and worsen wildfires.