The wildfires tearing through the Amazon rainforest in Brazil have shown the horrors of climate chaos, raising international concern. Thousands of Brazilians have taken to the streets in protests throughout the country, demanding an end to the environmental disaster.
As the pressure mounted, the Brazilian government has rejected an offer of £18 million in aid from the G7 countries to fight wildfires.
Yesterday world leaders at the summit in Biarritz, France, said the aid would go towards the battle against thousands of harmful blazes. Protesters also saying ‘We Need The World’s Help Right Now’.
“Hello, planet! Wake up! Without the Amazon, you can’t breathe!” protesters chanted Friday in Rio de Janeiro, as they filled the front steps of city hall carrying painted crosses traditionally seen at funerals. That night, they were mourning the rainforest.
Modular Airborne Fire Fighting systems, which are attached to planes and carry up to 12,000 liters of water, were deployed to the area on Saturday in an attempt to contain the damage.
But till the smoke is so thick it turned the air black in the city of Sao Paulo—some 1,700 miles from the inferno.
Nearer the fire, in the northern state of Rondonia, hospital admissions for respiratory problems have tripled.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, whose pro-development policies have been blamed for the increased illegal clearing and burning of the forest, authorized the troop deployment as global anxiety escalated.
Amid an international outcry and protests at home over the proliferation of fires in the Amazon rainforest, the Brazilian government has sent 44,000 troops to combat the environmentally damaging blazes.
Justice Minister Sergio Moro, who oversees the police, said on Twitter that Bolsonaro “asked for a rigorous investigation” and said, “the criminal fires will be severely punished.”
Pope Francis expressed his concern Sunday while addressing the crowd at St. Peter’s Square, warning that the green “lung of forest is vital for our planet’’ and adding, “let us pray so that, with the efforts of all, (the fires) are controlled as quickly as possible.’’
>Juthy Saha
Amazon Rainforest Still Burning at a Record Rate
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