Brazil: Amazon Day muted, deforestation continues
Aerial view of deforestation in the municipality of Melgaço in Brazil, July 30, 2020. AFP Photo / Tarso Sarraf
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2 min
The Amazon Day took place in mute this Saturday, September 5 in Brazil.
This subject is far from being the priority of the Bolsonaro government which does not fight against deforestation, but rather against non-governmental organizations.
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With our correspondent in Sao Paulo,
Martin Bernard
The latest figures show a new surge in deforestation of 34% over one year.
And the outlook is not very encouraging.
The Executive Secretary of the Climate Observatory, Marcio Astrini, underlines this: “
With each passing minute, the equivalent of two football fields is illegally destroyed in the Amazon.
This is the current situation.
So the situation is serious, and the government is making the situation even worse
”
Tense relations between NGOs and Bolsonaro
Relations between government and civil society are difficult.
Several groups of business leaders have recently formed to call for a new dialogue to save the Amazon.
But President Bolsonaro recently compared non-governmental organizations to “
cancer
”.
“
The NGOs that operate in the Amazon are frowned upon by the president because it shows the incompetence of his administration and the mistakes of the government.
We are not like Bolsonaro.
We defend the life of the forest.
He defends the death of the forest,
”concludes Marcio Astrini.
Conservationists say they had nothing to commemorate on this Amazon Day.
Also listen: International report - In Brazil, deforestation is gaining ground
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Brazil
Environment
Amazonia
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