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 By Jordi Miro with Allison Jackson in Rio de Janeiro Porto Velho, Brazil (AFP) Aug 26, 2019
Hundreds of new fires have flared up in the Amazon in Brazil, data showed Monday, even as military aircraft dumped water over hard-hit areas and G7 nations pledged to help combat the blazes. Smoke choked Port Velho city and forced the closure of the airport for nearly two hours as fires raged in the northwestern state of Rondonia where fire-fighting efforts are concentrated, amid a growing global uproar and a diplomatic spat between France and Brazil. "In some way we're all passive smokers," said Sergio Pereira, head of a children's hospital in the city where more people than usual are seeking treatment for respiratory problems. "The smoke can be really aggressive and the most affected are children and the elderly." Two C-130 Hercules aircraft carrying thousands of liters of water on Sunday began dousing fires devouring chunks of the world's largest rainforest, which is seen as crucial to keeping climate change in check. Swaths of the remote region have been scorched by the worst fires in years. Seventy personnel -- firefighters and troops -- have been deployed to put out the blazes, the Rondonia government said Saturday. Images posted on the presidential office Twitter account Monday showed firefighters wearing bright orange or yellow clothing using water backpacks to douse flames. Experts say increased land clearing during the months-long dry season to make way for crops or grazing has aggravated the recurring problem this year. Seen from above, the destruction in Rondonia is dramatic: walls of flames advancing across the expansive forest beneath enormous plumes of thick smoke. Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has ordered an investigation into reports that rural producers in the northern state of Para held a "day of fire" on August 10 in a show of support for the far-right leader's efforts to weaken environmental protection monitoring. The worsening crisis has fueled a row between Bolsonaro and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, who has been piling pressure on the Brazilian leader to do more to protect the forest. Macron on Monday condemned "extraordinarily rude" comments made about his wife Brigitte by Bolsonaro a day earlier. Bolsonaro hit back, accusing Macron of treating Brazil like "a colony or no-man's land." The spat comes as G7 nations meeting in southwestern France agreed to spend $20 million on the Amazon, mainly to send fire-fighting aircraft. - 'Zero tolerance' - The G7 club also agreed to support a medium-term reforestation plan which will be unveiled at the UN in September, Macron and Chile's President Sebastian Pinera said. Environment Minister Ricardo Salles told reporters the G7 funding was welcomed. Although about 60 percent of the Amazon is in Brazil, the vast forest also spreads over parts of eight other countries or territories. Bolivian President Evo Morales said Sunday he would accept international help to combat wildfires raging in his country's southeast. The country suspended election campaigning on Monday to deal with the forest fires that have swept across 950,000 hectares (2.3 million acres). Brazil has accepted help from Israel, which offered to send an aircraft. Seven states, including Rondonia, have requested the Brazilian army's help in the Amazon, where more than 43,000 troops have been made available to combat fires. It is not clear how many of them are actually involved in fire-fighting efforts so far. After initially blaming the fires on non-government organizations, Bolsonaro on Friday changed his tune. He vowed a "zero tolerance" approach to criminal activities in the Amazon and promised strong action to control the blazes. Bolsonaro's delayed response came as the Amazon crisis threatened to torpedo a massive trade agreement between the European Union and South American countries, including Brazil, which had alarmed the powerful agriculture sector. Thousands have taken to the streets in Brazil and Europe in recent days to denounce the destruction. The results of a survey conducted in the past four days show a sharp increase in Bolsonaro's disapproval rating to 53.7 percent, from 28.2 percent in February, according to MDA Research. Only 41 percent approve of his performance, down from 57.5 percent. Dozens of firefighters arrived in Porto Velho on Sunday and Justice Minister Sergio Moro has given the green light for the deployment of security forces to tackle illegal deforestation. The latest official figures show 80,626 forest fires have been recorded in Brazil this year, the highest number of any year since at least 2013. More than half of the fires are in the massive Amazon basin. Some 1,113 new fires were ignited across Saturday and Sunday, according to Brazil's National Institute for Space Research.
G7 pledges millions to fight Amazon fires "We must respond to the call of the forest which is burning today in the Amazon," France's Emmanuel Macron said as President Sebastian Pinera of Chile, a guest of the G7, underlined that "countries of the Amazon are in dire need of fire brigades and water bomber planes." Nearly 80,000 forest fires have been detected in Brazil since the beginning of the year -- just over half of them in the massive Amazon basin. Macron had declared the situation an "international crisis" and made it a priority of the summit of the G7, which comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. G7 leaders gathered in Biarritz held talks on the many environmental challenges facing planet Earth, with a focus on the record number of fires destroying swathes of the Amazon. Macron has threatened to block a huge new trade deal between the EU and Latin America unless Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a climate change sceptic, takes serious steps to protect the fast-shrinking forest from logging and mining. Bolsonaro lashed out at the French leader over his criticism and suggested NGOs could be setting the fires to embarrass him -- without giving any evidence to back the claim. But at the weekend, he finally caved in to international pressure to save a region crucial for maintaining a stable global climate, deploying two aircraft to douse fires and authorising the army to help tackle the blazes. - 'Universal heritage' - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his country would send a water bomber plane to fight the Amazon blazes and contribute some $15 million to the effort. The G7 also agreed to support a reforestation plan to be unveiled in September, the leaders said. Brazil would have to agree to any reforestation plan, as would indigenous communities living in the world's biggest rainforest. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said new planting was needed "to preserve this universal heritage, which is absolutely essential for the well-being of the world's population." He said the issue would be discussed during the UN General Assembly in New York in September. Macron told France 2 it was hoped "at least 30 million" dollars could be raised for the project. On Monday evening, the French leader met Brazilian indigenous chief Raoni Metuktire, who said he had asked Macron to "help us preserve our lands." "The forests and lands of Brazil help the entire planet live," said the chief, an advocate for indigenous rights. Greenpeace executive director Jennifer Morgan welcomed the G7 aid, but said the club must also "stop fuelling the destruction of the Amazon through the import of agricultural products associated with deforestation and soil degradation." British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised 10 million pounds ($12 million) for Amazon reforestation projects, while luxury fashion giant LVMH pledged 10 million euros.
Brazil's Bolsonaro authorizes army to help fight Amazon fires Porto Velho, Brazil (AFP) Aug 25, 2019 Brazil on Sunday deployed two C-130 Hercules aircraft to douse fires devouring parts of the Amazon rainforest, as hundreds of new blazes flared up and thousands protested over the destruction. Heavy smoke covered the city of Porto Velho in the northwestern state of Rondonia where the defense ministry said the planes have started dumping thousands of liters of water, amid a global uproar over the worst fires in years. Swathes of the remote region bordering Bolivia have been scorched by the blazes ... read more
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