Brazil enacts new forest code

Both parties are unhappy for opposite sides of the same reason. Too restrictive says one side, not restrictive enough says the other.<p>Which means that it's the right amount of compromise! Good on the government here.<p>The focus on past offenders is fixing (replanting), not punishment, which bothers environmentalists. I don't care. I'd rather see progress than "justice" (revenge).<p>From here I imagine Brazil's biggest environmental benefits will come from increased and efficient mechanization, not flat policies. This policy seems to be as good as we're going to get in a world where a lot of involved parties want everything.

Good codes are only as good as their enforcement. Guatemala has, in theory, some of the best environmental and conservation policies of the western hemisphere. The northern half of the country is almost entirely a "protected area".<p>Every morning I wake up to the sound of chainsaws. Narcotics, corruption and cattle ranching are taking down the rain forest at an incredible pace. The short term thinking and quick money mentality will be devastating in the long run.