Fearnside does an excellent job of delivering facts, statistics and history. The issues with deforestation in the Amazon are numerous and Fearnside somehow covers many of them in a cohesive manner. The biggest tragedy with deforestation is the environment, of not only the Amazon but also the world. Another interesting note is how big corporations are the largest group of culprits however they blame small businesses to make deforestation seem positive. Much how conservatives in the US use “small business” as an excuse to cut the taxes of huge corporations. Fearnside argues that the long term environmental value of the Amazon is far greater than any short term profits.
The amount of citations, statistics, and references for this journal is amazing. This amount of research and effort definitely lend the author a lot of clout. Another great aspect of the author’s work is how he gives brief histories of past policies and then relates them to current ones. For example, deforestation of the Amazon began unregulated by Brazil’s government, then strictly regulated and then unregulated again. The author gives specific dates, laws, factors, etc. The attention to detail is massive as is the number of sources. The author also divides up the project into different sections making navigation through the article a breeze. Say the environmental impact is your main interest you can skip around to that. Or perhaps you are interested in the law aspect you can seek out that portion. Overall the article is very user friendly.
Arguably the biggest threat to human life on earth is climate change. Remarkably the Amazon naturally fights this phenomenon, however as the Amazon shrinks and shrinks from deforestation, so do the health benefits for the human species. The Amazon also recycles water. An important note to be made is the scope of the article. The author is allowing the reader get a nice summary of every aspect of the topic. Even though these scientific and agricultural concepts are complex he explains them in simple terms. This means that anyone who reads the article can become a mini expert in the subject of Amazonian Deforestation. Despite the darkness of the subject of deforestation there is also some hope sprinkled in with regard to protected areas, national parks, etc. This allows the reader to gain knowledge, passion and not be discouraged.
Human Rights in Latin America 
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