By Shayan Shakir
World leaders are calling for greater action to be taken to tackle the ongoing blaze which is ravaging the Amazon rainforest.
Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, has called the Amazon wildfires an “international crisis” and wants it to be the main topic to be discussed at the G7 summit this weekend.
Macron tweeted: “Our house is burning. Literally. The Amazon rain forest- the lungs which produces 20% of our planet’s oxygen- is on fire. It is an international crisis. Members of the G7 Summit, let’s discuss this emergency first order in two days!”
His tweet received an aggressive response from Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro. He tweeted: “I regret that president Macron seeks to take advantage of what is a domestic Brazilian issue and of other Amazonian countries for personal political gain.” He said that Macron had a “sensationalist tone”.
Celebrities have also highlighted the ongoing crisis. A picture posted by Leonardo DiCaprio of the Amazon burning received more than three million likes.
In the caption he said: “Terrifying to think that the Amazon… has been on fire and burning for the last 16 days running, with literally no media coverage whatsoever! Why?”
To read our previous story on the fire in the Amazon, click here.
