DESPERATE FIGHT
Amazon fires – Brazil calls in the army to fight rainforest fires as 10,000 separate blazes tear through country
BRAZIL President Jair Bolsonaro has sent in the army in a desperate bid to deal with the wildfires tearing through the Amazon rainforest.
Bolsonaro, 64, had been facing mounting international criticism over the handling of the thousands of fires that had been destroying large parts of the rainforest.
12
12
12
France and Ireland threatened to block a free trade deal between the EU and a South American trading bloc earlier unless Mr Bolsonaro took action.
Bolsonaro pledged in an address to the nation to mobilise the army to help combat the blazes, while his administration launched a diplomatic charm offensive to try to mend bridges overseas.
Images of fires raging in the Amazon broadcast around the globe sparked protests outside Brazilian embassies from Mexico City and Lima to London and Paris.
He has come under criticism from foreign leaders and environmentalists who accuse him of turning a blind eye to loggers and farmers who are said to have started many of the fires deliberately so the land can be developed economically.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson also weighed in on the issue agreeing talks must take place.
His Number 10 spokeswoman said: "The Prime Minister is deeply concerned by the increase in fires in the Amazon rainforest and the impact of the tragic loss of these precious habitats.
"The effect of these fires will be felt around the world, which is why we need international action to protect the world's rainforests.
"The UK will continue to support projects in Brazil to do this and the Prime Minister will use the G7 to call for a renewed focus on protecting nature and tackling climate change together."
Bolsonaro, who initially accused non-governmental organisations of setting the forest on fire without providing any evidence, said in a televised address he had authorised the use of troops to fight the fires and stop illegal deforestation in the Amazon.
But the former military officer attributed the scale of the fires to dryer-than-average weather and insisted on the need for economic development of the Amazon to improve the lives of its 20 million inhabitants.
Environmentalists have warned that his controversial plans for more agriculture and mining in the region will speed up deforestation.
"We have to give the population the opportunity to develop and my government is working for that, with zero tolerance for crime - and that is no different for the environment," Bolsonaro said in his televised speech.
Experts have estimated it will take around two centuries to repair the ecological damage that have been caused by the fires that have not only swept across Brazil but Bolivia and Paraguay.
The President of the College of Agricultural Engineers in Santa Cruz, Bolivia said: “(La Chiquitanía) is very large and diverse, there are thousands of species, from insects, major and minor animals. The dry Chiquitano forest is unique in the world, restoring such a forest takes more than 200 years. There are unique species of trees and fauna, also a special condition of soil type and ecological characteristics."
US President Donald Trump - whose sceptical views on climate change Bolsonaro shares - called the Brazilian president to offer help, if needed, in dealing with the wildfires.
ARMY CALLED IN
"I told him if the United States can help with the Amazon rainforest fires, we stand ready to assist!" Trump said in a post on Twitter.
More than 9,500 new forest fires have started across Brazil, mainly in the Amazon basin, since August 15.
Figures from Brazil's (INPE) show that in July the Amazon rainforest, known as the world's lungs, lost 519 square miles of trees, a new record for the most deforestation the Amazon has suffered in a single month.
INPE has reported an 84 per cent rise in wildfires since the start of the year with a total of 74,155 incidents so far.
Global Forest Watch, which is sponsored by the World Resources Institute and monitors forest and track fires using satellite date, said there had been 109,000 fire alerts in Brazil between August 13-22.
Bolivia is also struggling to contain big fires, many believed to have been set by farmers clearing land for cultivation.
So far an estimated 1.6million acres of forests and pastureland have been destroyed by wildfires, mainly in the eastern areas of Bolivia near the country's borders with Brazil and Paraguay.
On Friday a B747-400 SuperTanker plane arrived in Bolivia to help with the fire-fighting effort.
The aircraft can carry nearly 20,000 of retardant to help smother the flames.
MOST READ IN WORLD NEWS
Brazil's largest state Amazonas declared a state of emergency on Monday.
The fires have not only destroyed the rainforest but also the homes of wildlife and indigenous tribes.
The Mura tribe are now surrounded by dry soil and fallen timber after blazes ripped through their home land.
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
Amazon tribes see their homes wiped out as horrifying rainforest fires rage out of control through ancient protected areas
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
Topics