As controversy swirls around him for failing to protect the world’s largest rainforest from fires, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro blamed environmental groups and nongovernmental organizations for setting the blazes.
“On the question of burning in the Amazon, which in my opinion may have been initiated by NGOs because they lost money, what is the intention? To bring problems to Brazil,” Bolsonaro said, according to The Guardian.
He made similarly baseless allegations earlier when he suggested the environmental groups were going out with cameras and starting fires in the Amazon. When asked for any evidence to back up those claims, he said it was just his feeling.
In addition to a marked increase in deforestation, Brazil has seen an 84% increase in fire outbreaks this year compared to the same period last year, more than half of which were in the Amazon.
Since the 64-year-old Bolsonaro took office in January, the country’s environmental agency has given out fewer penalties and his ministers have offered increased support to loggers, rather than the indigenous people who live in the rainforest.
The head of Brazil’s space agency, Ricardo Galvão, was recently fired over data that found an 88% increase in deforestation in June compared to last year. Galvão accused Bolsonaro of “cowardice” for not trusting the institute’s data.
Local media in Brazil have reported that farmers have felt emboldened by the looser regulations and have lit many of the fires in order to clear land for further development. Farmers in some regions are reportedly organizing “fire days” to exploit the lack of firmer governance.
Danicley Aguiar of Greenpeace Brazil pushed back on Bolsonaro’s claims that environmental groups are setting the blazes and placed blame on his administration.
“Those who destroy the Amazon and let deforestation continue unabated are encouraged by the Bolsonaro government’s actions and policies. Since taking office, the current government has been systematically dismantling Brazil’s environmental policy,” Aguiar said.
