• Mining giant Vale has obtained a preliminary license for its Bacaba project, the first step toward doubling its copper production in the Brazilian Amazon over the next decade.
• Experts warn the expansion, near several conservation areas, will worsen deforestation, increase water stress and raise the risk of pollution.
• The global demand for copper is expected to rise by more than 40% by 2040, and almost all of Brazil’s known reserves are in the Amazon.

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