Mankind has done more damage to the earth in the 20th century than in all of previous human history.
Jacque Cousteau

Brazil is referred to as a middle-income nation, with a per capita income far below the rich countries of western Europe and North America, but well above the poorest, as exemplified by India and most of Africa. As well, Brazil is a good example of a two tiered society, in which the majority of wealth is concentrated in the pockets of a few, and most of the rest are poor. In other words, a robust middle class is missing. And the nation is also economically divided between an impoverished tropical north and the temperate south, with its concentration of industry and wealth. With this regionalization comes migration, from poor to affluent areas, especially to large urban centers like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Thus the favelas, or shantytowns, next door to expensive apartments-poverty and wealth side by side. That's all there is.

Overpopulation has contributed to Brazil's economic woes by swelling the ranks of the poor and unemployed. Deforestation and desertification have sent refugees from the northeast, not only to the megacities, but also to the Amazon Basin in their search for hope. Few find it. The situation in Amazonia is no different than the rest of Brazil. So the poor stay poor while the rich get richer. In the meantime the magnificent forests and biodiversity of the Amazon are sold down the river by the greedy rich and a short-sighted and corrupt government.