• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
    • Volunteer
  • Subscribe
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

Brazil's Bolsonaro blames Amazon fires on NGOs as Twitter erupts

by Rubaashini Shunmuganathan
22/08/2019
in Environment
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0

Photo Credit: Twitter/ 24/7 HipHop News

by Johannes MYBURGH

Wildfires in the Amazon rainforest in northern Brazil have ignited a firestorm on social media, with President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday suggesting green groups started the blazes.
Images of fires purportedly devouring sections of the world’s largest rainforest have gone viral on Twitter. #PrayforAmazonas is the top trending hashtag in the world on Wednesday, with more than 249,000 tweets.
“No matter how successful we are, if our Earth dies, we all die,” posted one Twitter user.
Another wrote: “Send your prayers to the Amazon and to the planet, we will need it.”
Some of the images, however, showed fires in the Amazon dating as far back as 1989 or even in other countries such as the United States or India, AFP’s fact-check service found.
Official figures show nearly 73,000 forest fires were recorded in Brazil in the first eight months of the year — the highest number for any year since 2013. Most were in the Amazon.
That compares with 39,759 in all of 2018, according to the embattled National Institute for Space Research (INPE), which has been in Bolsonaro’s cross-hairs since it released data showing a surge in deforestation in recent months.
The head of INPE, the agency tasked with monitoring forest clearing, was sacked over the figures.
While it was not possible Wednesday to measure the size of the area affected by fires, thick smoke in recent days has blanketed several cities, including Sao Paulo, and caused a commercial flight to be diverted.
Forest fires tend to intensify during the dry season, which usually ends in late October or early November, as land is cleared to make way for crops or grazing.
But the WWF has blamed this year’s sharp increase on accelerating deforestation in the Amazon, which is seen as crucial to keeping climate change in check.
“Historically, in this region, the use of fire is directly linked to deforestation as it is one of the techniques for tree clearing,” WWF said in a statement.
Bolsonaro hit back Wednesday, saying “criminal action by those NGOs, to call attention against me, against the Brazilian government” following funding cuts may be the reason for the forest fires.
“This is the war that we are facing,” Bolsonaro told reporters.
“The fires were lit in strategic places. All the indications suggest they went there to film and start fires. That’s what I feel.”

Deforestation under scrutiny

Bolsonaro’s comments come as Brazil hosts a UN regional meeting on climate change in the northeastern city of Salvador ahead of December’s summit in Chile.
The 25th UN Conference on Climate Change (COP25) was originally planned for Brazil, but the country pulled out, citing impossible objectives.
Activists held a protest in the city where they denounced Bolsonaro’s latest accusation as “absurd”.
“The fires are the consequence of a policy of environmental devastation, of support for agribusiness, of increasing pastures,” Camila Veiga of the Brazilian Association of NGOs told AFP.
Speaking on the sidelines of the week-long workshop, Environment Minister Ricardo Salles defended the government’s efforts to prevent illegal deforestation.
“All the rules on illegal deforestation have been upheld, all strategies have continued to be enforced,” Salles said.
“Unfortunately both the states and the federal government suffer because of the economic crisis, budget cuts, which hinders… enforcement operations.”
The forest fires have fueled criticism of Bolsonaro’s anti-environmentrhetoric, which activists blame for emboldening loggers, miners and farmers in the Amazon.
Salvador mayor Antonio Carlos Magalhaes told AFP that, if necessary, “political forces” in Brazil would work “to block any attempt at radical or extreme decisions” on the environment by Bolsonaro’s government.
“Our country is concerned about the environment, our country is concerned with the preservation of its natural heritage, our country does not want to regress on this agenda, it wants to move forward,” Magalhaes said.
Norway joined Germany on Thursday in halting Amazon protection subsidies, accusing Brazil of turning its back on the fight against deforestation.
Worsening relations between Brazil and Europe has worried the powerful agriculture sector, which fears a backlash from its key markets.

-AFP
For just US$7.50 a month, sign up as a subscriber on The Online Citizen Asia (and enjoy ads-free experience on our site) to support our mission to transform TOC into an alternative mainstream press.

Related Posts

Venerable Master Hsing Yun passed away at age 97
Arts & Culture

Venerable Master Hsing Yun passed away at age 97

06/02/2023
No response from Josephine Teo on whether Mediacorp has been instructed to stop coverage of SMT circulation scandal
Singapore

No response from Josephine Teo over alleged blackout of coverage by Mediacorp over SMT circulation scandal

06/02/2023
Earthquake victims stage demonstration after Cianjur Regency Govt cancels temporary housing assistance of US$68 per family
Indonesia

Earthquake victims stage demonstration after Cianjur Regency Govt cancels temporary housing assistance of US$68 per family

06/02/2023
The uncomfortable past appointments by PAP members for CPIB in Keppel’s corruption scandal
Singapore

The uncomfortable past appointments by PAP members for CPIB in Keppel’s corruption scandal

06/02/2023
Not the first time, Tong Chong Heong, former KOM senior executive, was involved in corruption at Keppel
People

Not the first time, Tong Chong Heong, former KOM senior executive, was involved in corruption at Keppel

06/02/2023
Temasek and GIC reportedly in talks with Adani Group accused of “brazen” market manipulation and accounting fraud
Business

Adani stock rout raises questions about India’s credibility even as S’pore becomes #1 investor in India

06/02/2023
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
Connect withD
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Latest posts

Venerable Master Hsing Yun passed away at age 97

Venerable Master Hsing Yun passed away at age 97

06/02/2023
No response from Josephine Teo on whether Mediacorp has been instructed to stop coverage of SMT circulation scandal

No response from Josephine Teo over alleged blackout of coverage by Mediacorp over SMT circulation scandal

06/02/2023
Earthquake victims stage demonstration after Cianjur Regency Govt cancels temporary housing assistance of US$68 per family

Earthquake victims stage demonstration after Cianjur Regency Govt cancels temporary housing assistance of US$68 per family

06/02/2023
The uncomfortable past appointments by PAP members for CPIB in Keppel’s corruption scandal

The uncomfortable past appointments by PAP members for CPIB in Keppel’s corruption scandal

06/02/2023
Not the first time, Tong Chong Heong, former KOM senior executive, was involved in corruption at Keppel

Not the first time, Tong Chong Heong, former KOM senior executive, was involved in corruption at Keppel

06/02/2023
Temasek and GIC reportedly in talks with Adani Group accused of “brazen” market manipulation and accounting fraud

Adani stock rout raises questions about India’s credibility even as S’pore becomes #1 investor in India

06/02/2023
Sixteen killed in China highway pile-up

Sixteen killed in China highway pile-up

05/02/2023

Are IT jobs in Singapore flooded by foreigners?

05/02/2023

Trending posts

Former Singaporean shares change of life in Australia with annual pay of S$80,000 as a plumber

Former Singaporean shares change of life in Australia with annual pay of S$80,000 as a plumber

by Yee Loon
30/01/2023
25

...

Cognizant India transfers staff to work in Singapore as recently as this year

Local IT grads can’t find jobs while engineers constantly transferred from India to work in SG under CECA

by Correspondent
05/02/2023
49

...

They have done a fine job of confusing us about the jobs situation

They have done a fine job of confusing us about the jobs situation

by Augustine Low
01/02/2023
47

...

Adani’s brother runs SG company and registers as director with local ID

Adani’s brother runs SG company and registers as director with local ID

by Correspondent
03/02/2023
26

...

Excessively charging for an essential need, and calling it affordable because people still can pay for it?

by Terry Xu
31/01/2023
40

...

Singapore Law Watch removes commentary on CPIB’s decision to not prosecute former Keppel executives

Singapore Law Watch removes commentary on CPIB’s decision to not prosecute former Keppel executives

by The Online Citizen
02/02/2023
19

...

August 2019
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Jul   Sep »

The Online Citizen is a regional online publication based in Taiwan and formerly Singapore’s longest-running independent online media platform.

Navigation

  • Editorial
  • Commentaries
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Community

Support

  • Contact Us
  • Letter submission
  • Membership subscription

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Fact Checking Policy
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

wpDiscuz