- Brazilian president must accept outside help to save rainforest that produces one-fifth of world’s oxygen and is home to quarter of plants and creatures
Brazil's populist president, Jair Bolsonaro, views international criticism of fires raging in his country's Amazon rainforest as interfering in national sovereignty. His government says it will reject US$22 million in technical and financial help offered by the Group of Seven most developed nations at their annual summit in France. But he has to be accommodating; the scale of the blazes means his nation alone cannot effectively tackle them. Nor are the trees and the ecosystems they support a matter simply for Brazilians given their importance to global well-being.
Brazil president will accept G7 aid if Macron withdraws 'insults'
The Amazon rainforest is so vast that it produces 20 per cent of the world's oxygen. It has a critical role in global climate through absorption and storage of carbon dioxide, which is behind rising temperatures. A quarter of the world's plants and creatures live among its trees and in the waters of the eponymous river at its heart, the Amazon. About 60 per cent is in Brazil, but the pro-business Bolsonaro has shown little interest in climate science and is using a personal dispute with French President Emmanuel Macron as reason for rejecting help.
His priority is economic growth and the rainforest is a target given that it covers millions of hectares of land that can be cleared for farming, logging and mining. The world's developed nations have a growing appetite for Brazilian beef, a lucrative reason to create pastures. Indigenous people and conservationists have for decades been struggling to protect the rainforest from business interests, but they have been losing the battle since Bolsonaro took office at the start of the year. Landholders have been intentionally setting fires.
Wildfires are common in the dry season, but satellite data shows a record number so far this year with more than 75,000, most being in the Amazon region. The president has poured scorn on Western criticism and even accused environmental groups of starting the blazes. Only last Friday, amid European threats of banning beef exports and vetoing a to-be signed trade deal, did he call in the army. He said on social media on Sunday he would accept an offer of assistance from Israel. But more is needed; an international crisis requires an international response.
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