• Amazonia in flames, the controversy between Bolsonaro and Macron blazes. Fires seen from Space
  • The Amazon burns. "We see life going out"
  • The Amazon burns, the Sun obscured in Sao Paulo
  • Amazonia: deforestation, official data confirm alarm
  • The race against time to save the Amazon
  • Pope: "Amazonia represents enormous biological wealth. A duty dialogue with the natives"

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23 August 2019While the planet's lung burns on the political plane, the clash between Emanuel Macron and Jair Bolsonaro on the protection of the Amazon intensifies: the French president has raised the alarm on the 'international crisis' that represents forest fires in Brazil, claiming to G7 to put the issue on the agenda at its summit, but his Brazilian colleague accused him of giving in to "sensationalism" for "personal political interests", demonstrating a "colonial mentality".

Bolsonaro sends the army
Bolsonaro confirms the intention to send the army to the front of the fires in the Amazon. Speaking with the G1 portal, the Brazilian president said that soldiers could contribute to the fight against the flames. The Brazilian head of state has also signed a provision inviting all competent ministers to take all necessary measures to monitor and combat the fires in the Amazon: the objective is "the preservation and defense of the rainforest in the Amazon area, our heritage national ", states the order.

72 thousand fires, 83% more than in 2018
According to the Folha de S. Paulo, the fires have increased by 83% compared to the previous year: in all, the number of fires recorded was 72.843, and they mainly affected private areas but also natural reserves and fields owned by the indigenous peoples.

Macron: "Bolsonaro lied"
For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Bolsonaro "lied" about his commitment to the environment and announced that, given the conditions, France would oppose the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement. This was announced by the Elysium. "Taking into account the attitude of Brazil in recent weeks, the President of the Republic does not fail to note that President Bolsonaro lied at the summit of the G20 in Osaka, given that" he decided not to respect his climate commitments or to commit himself on the biodiversity front ", reads the note from the French presidency.

France opposes Mercosur agreement
"Given these conditions, France opposes the existing Mercosur agreement".

Merkel: "Amazonia is acute emergency"
Even for German Chancellor Angela Merkel the fires in the Amazon are a situation of "acute emergency" and must be discussed at the G7. "The chancellor is convinced" that the theme "should be on the G7 agenda when it meets this weekend" in Biarritz, said Merkel spokeswoman Steffen Seibert, adding that "the chancellor fully supports the French president" on this point.

"The extent of the fires in the Amazon is shocking and threatens not only Brazil and other affected countries but also the whole world," Merkel's spokesman said.

Exchange of charges between Bolsonaro and NGOs
In Brazil, the controversy has flared up with the exchange of mutual accusations between environmental NGOs who blame the president of Brazil for promoting the destruction of the forest for economic reasons and Bolsonaro, who indicates the same environmental organizations as firefighters. Today, a day of global mobilization for environmentalists with the SOS Amazonia slogan, the controversy widens.

The Brazilian National Space Research Institute (INPE) reported about 2,500 new fires within 48 hours throughout Brazil. Deforestation, which is advancing rapidly, is the main cause of the outbreak of new fires. According to the Inpe, 75,336 fires were recorded in the country from January to August 21st, 84% more than in the same period last year, over 52% of which involved the Amazon. Faced with this "tragedy", the president of Ecuador Lenin Moreno proposed to his Brazilian counterpart the sending of three teams of firefighters specialized in forest fires. While the Brazilian press was beginning to report breathing problems in some cities, the fires in the Amazon Thursday remained the first 'trend' on Twitter.

On Twitter, a clash between Macron and Bolsonaro

Clash on Twitter between Emanuel Macron and Jair Bolsonaro on the protection of the Amazon: the French president raised the alarm on the "international crisis" that represents the fires in Brazil, asking the G7 to put the issue on the agenda of his summit, but his Brazilian colleague accused him of giving in to "sensationalism" for "personal political interests", also demonstrating a "colonial mentality.

"I am sorry that President Macron is trying to exploit an internal question of Brazil and other Amazon countries for personal political gain. The sensationalist tone with which he refers to the Amazon (even resorting to false photos) does not contribute at all to solve the problem ", attacks Bolsonaro. Which then continues in a second tweet: "The Brazilian government remains
open to dialogue, based on objective data and mutual respect. The suggestion of the French president to discuss the Amazon issues at the G7 without the participation of the countries of the region evokes a colonial mentality out of place in the 21st century ".

Bolsonaro speaks of "false photos" because, to his tweet, Macron has attached a snap of the fires that is not current: it is a photo of the American Loren McIntyre, who died in 2003, known for his
work for National Geographic. That of the photos that are not current or related to fires in other parts of the world is an issue we talked about yesterday, citing the operation of 'debunking' carried out, among others, by the social profile of AFP. "Our house burns. Literally. The Amazon, the lung of our planet that produces 20% of our oxygen, is on fire. It is an international crisis. Members of the G7, an appointment in two days to talk about this emergency", Macron had written yesterday.

The former minister of the environment of Lula: it is a crime against humanity

The situation in the Amazon, devastated by deforestation and fires, is "out of control", reports Brazilian environmental activist Marina Silva, accusing President Jair Bolsonaro's extreme right-wing government of allowing "frenetic action" that affects a vital ecosystem for the planet. The ecologist and former candidate for the presidency, visiting Bogotà, said in an interview with the AFP that the Latin American giant has the knowledge and "technology" to control fires. Which, instead, devour large areas of jungle due to the "negligence" of the government of
Bolsonaro, a climate skeptic.

Marina Silva, who was also Minister for the Environment from 2003 to 2008 of the left-wing president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2010), also says that a movement is forming to ask Parliament to reject "contrary" initiatives to the protection of nature. Winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize in 1996, considered the "Green Nobel Prize", Silvia severely criticized the president of her country, stating that what happens in the Amazon - of which 60% is in Brazil - constitutes a "crime against the humanity".

The Brazilian federal prosecutor opens an inquiry

The Brazilian federal prosecutor's office has announced the start of an investigation into the fires in the Amazon. The investigation, it has been explained, will be to determine if it has been adequately supervised, if sufficient support has been given to the agencies that protect the environment and even if there is coordinated action by farmers and breeders. The investigation will start from the state of Parà following the data
"alarming" in the region, where deforestation has increased by 50% and, in a specular way, the area devoted to agriculture is increasing by 50%.

The initiation of the investigation was described as "a due act" in the face of so many complaints, also concerning a reduction in the supervisory action. And the prosecutor also warned of the possibility
the start of civil proceedings against the authorities. In particular, the prosecutor's office intends to investigate what has been called "The Day of the Fire" during which, on 10 August, the organizers invited farmers to burn woods for " show the will to work with the president Bolsonaro ".

"We need to show the president that we want to work and to train and clean our countries we have to do it with fire," one of the organizers told the newspaper "Folha do Progresso".
During the day of August 10th there were increases in the fires in the municipalities of Novo Progresso and Altamira.

From Madonna to Cristiano Ronaldo, the stars launch appeals on the 'social'

Movie and music stars like Leonardo di Caprio and Madonna have added their voice to the chorus of those who participate in the mobilization online with the hashtag #prayforamazonia. The pop star writes: "The fires are raging and the Amazon continues to burn ......... This is a devastation for Brazil, for the indigenous people who live there and the plant and animal species that make this the most important forest for biodiversity !!! President Bolsonaro, please ... "

The Fires Are Raging and The Amazonia continues to burn ......... This is a devastation to Brazil - to the indigenous people who live there and the plant and animal species that make this the most important bio-diverse Forest !!! President Bolsonaro please ... https://t.co/YbxldYw8HY pic.twitter.com/lex4UIwHcg

- Madonna (@Madonna) August 22, 2019

Cristiano Ronaldo also wanted to intervene on the issue: "The Amazon rainforest produces over 20% of the world's oxygen and has been burning for three weeks. It is our responsibility to help save our planet. #Prayforamazonia". With this message on twitter, even the Portuguese champion of Juventus makes his voice heard in defense of the Amazon forest.

The Amazon Rainforest produces more than 20% of the oxygen and burning for the past 3 weeks. It's our responsibility to help our save our planet. #prayforamazonia pic.twitter.com/83bNL5a37Q

- Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) August 22, 2019

Even his teammate Paulo Dybala tweeted on the subject: "The Amazon burns. The Amazon is not only from South America, it belongs to everyone. The forest is the lungs of the Earth, they give 20% of the oxygen to the our planet. It's the forest of the whole world and our future is burning, you all have to do something. "

"I am deeply worried about the fires in the Amazon rainforest. In the midst of the global climate crisis we cannot afford any more damage to a considerable resource of oxygen and biodiversity. The Amazon must be protected." In the evening the voice of the United Nations secretary general, Antonio Guterres, also arrived on Twitter.

Fire smoke visible from Space

The smoke produced by the fires that are ravaging the Amazon in these days can even be seen from Space: the Sentinel 3 satellite, of the European Space Agency's Copernicus program (ESA), captured the images on 20 and 21 August. ), and that of NASA, Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership. The NASA image taken by the Nuomi NPP satellite using the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on August 20, 2019 and released today, shows smoking and fires in several Brazilian states, including Amazonas, Mato Grosso and Rondônia. It is not unusual to see fires in Brazil at this time of year, NASA writes on its site, due to high temperatures and low humidity. Time will tell if this year was a record or just within normal limits. We also propose the images published by the Maxar Technologies satellite that testify the progress of fire in large areas of the state of Rondônia in the upper basin of the Amazon River.

Not just Brazil

Not only Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay are also affected by serious forest fires. So much so that the last two countries have come together to fight the flames that have already caused "irreversible" damage to flora and fauna, according to environmentalists. In Bolivia there are about 654 thousand hectares burned in the Santa Cruz department since May, with a sharp increase in August; two weeks ago, firefighters are fighting fires out of control. In Paraguay, hit in the north, official data are not available. What distinguishes these fires from those of the Amazon is that they occur further south, at the borders between Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil. The authorities of the first two countries have indicated that they are in contact to "work together".

SOS Amazonia, events all over the world

Demonstrations for the Amazon are scheduled for today in Brazil and in the world, while Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is under international pressure for the fires that burn the forest. On Thursday evening Bolsonaro participated in a crisis meeting in Brasilia, after he had once again launched accusations against environmental defenders, suggesting that behind the fires they could
there are NGOs. Protests are scheduled for today in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Furthermore, the 'Fridays for Future' movement, born from the ecological struggle of the young Swedish Greta Thunberg, icon of the fight against climate change, has launched an appeal to demonstrate in front of Brazilian embassies and consulates in the world.