Fire smolders in an area of the Amazon rainforest
RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazilian President Jair
Bolsonaro blasted his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron as having a
“colonialist mentality” for rallying G-7 countries to address wildfires
raging in the Amazon rainforest.
“The French president’s suggestion that Amazon issues be discussed at the
G-7 without participation by the countries in the region evokes a colonialist
mentality that is out of place in the 21st century,” Bolsonaro wrote on
Twitter.
Macron is using an issue that is a domestic one for Brazil and other
regional countries for personal political gain, Brazil’s leader said, calling
Macron’s tone “sensationalist.”
Macron tweeted earlier Thursday that fires burning in the Amazon amount to an international crisis and should be discussed as a top priority when the G-7 countries meet this weekend in France.
“Our house is burning. Literally. The Amazon rainforest — the lungs which
produce 20 percent of our planet’s oxygen — is on fire. It is an
international crisis. Members of the G7 Summit, let’s discuss this emergency
first order in two days!” Macron said on Twitter.
Bolsonaro noted that Macron’s tweet included a photo of a fire in the
Amazon that is at least 16 years old and has been seen often in recent days
on social media posts about the fires.
Brazil’s president has ordered the armed forces to help fight a record number of forest fires in the Amazon.
A decree issued by President Jair Bolsonaro authorises the deployment of soldiers in nature reserves, indigenous lands and border areas in the region.
The announcement comes after intense pressure from European leaders.
Bolsonaro has criticised the reaction of other nations, insisting wildfires “cannot be used as a pretext” for punitive sanctions.
It came after France and Ireland said they would not ratify a huge trade deal with South American nations unless Brazil does more to tackle blazes in the Amazon.
Finland’s finance minister has also called on the EU to consider banning Brazilian beef imports. Finland is currently president of the Council of the EU – a role which is rotated among member states every six months.
Environmental groups held protests in cities across Brazil on Friday to demand action to combat the fires and protesters also gathered outside the Brazilian embassies around the world.
The largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon is a vital carbon store that slows down the pace of global warming.
It is known as the “lungs of the world” and is home to about three million species of plants and animals, and one million indigenous people. — NNN-AGENCIES
