Coca-Cola agreed on Wednesday to sponsor part of the Amazon rainforest

The beverage company Coca-Cola agreed on Wednesday to sponsor part of the Amazon rainforest. Coca-Cola is the eighth to join the program. The company's adopted park occupies 132 square kilometers and is located in the western part of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. "Adoption expenses" for one year amount to 658,850 Brazilian reals. The same step was taken, for example, by the brewing company Heineken. The 93 square-kilometer park will cost the beer giant 466,900 Brazilian reals a year. The Brazilian government, led by President Jair Bolsonar, introduced the "Adopt a Park" program this year. Individuals can also sponsor areas of national parks, 1 hectare costs 50 Brazilian reals a year. All those interested can adopt only the entire national park, their size ranges from 2,574 to 3,865,172 hectares. Environmentalists have criticized the actions of the right-wing government, led by President Bolsonar. They refer to them as "greenwashing" aimed only at improving the "image" of the government, especially in times of severe deforestation. Between August 2019 and July 2020, an area exceeding 11,000 square kilometers was destroyed. According to the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), this is the highest level since 2008. In addition, according to scientists, deforestation has accelerated since Jair Bolsonaro took over the presidency. Environmentalists also point out that Bolsonaro not only strongly supports development in the Amazon, but has also weakened environmental law enforcement. "The government should reverse the dismantling of the environment - instead of this program, which opens up a huge space for 'greenwashing' and does not solve the problem," said Cristiane Mazzetti, a conservationist at Greenpeace, in a statement. Greenwashing is a term used for a feigned interest in ecology.