Discussion on:

Chronicling Latin America's deforestation, leaf by leaf

Wow, this is an interesting and important project. It may show how cutting down blocks of hardwoods trees to make fancy flooring, musical instruments, etc, plus rising temperatures and changing climate all have a significant roll. Changing climate and alterations to rainfall patterns could be a big factor. Lots of different things at play here. The more trees that get harvested the harder it is to hold onto ground moisture and more likely that soil will be replaced by desert.

...as another side effect of our never-ending bad Ethanol policy.

@JohnMcGrew
I think you mean Brazil's Ethanol policy.

People have to live, and people have to eat.