Natural fires in the old growth Amazon rain forest — the “lungs of the earth” that store great quantities of CO2 and produce 20% of the world’s oxygen — rarely occur in nature.
The current epidemic of wildfires is human caused. The new president, extreme right-wing Jair Bolsonaro, nicknamed the “Trump of the tropics,” was sworn in January 1 of 2019 and promptly announced that he was “liberating” the Amazon rainforest for the benefit of agribusiness.
Bolsonaro has rejected offers of assistance from the European Union, calling it “European imperialist intervention” in Brazil’s domestic affairs, even though Bolsonaro himself is a white of European descent, and the indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon rainforest say Bolsonaro is the one who is the European imperialist, and accuse Bolsonaro of genocide against the original inhabitants of the region.
The fires — 80,000 and counting — are not the result of lightning strikes or other natural causes; they are human caused by farmers SETTING FIRES to clear up more land for agriculture, with Bolsonaro’s blessing. Only now, with international outcry, has Bolsonaro agreed to send the military and firefighters to bring the devastation under control, while rejecting much of the international assistance offered.
For years, right wingers have been using “Venezuela” as a code word for their distaste for anything resembling socialism. The physical toll of capitalism appears to be much more tangible. Will the final printings of history books use “Brazil” as shorthand for the loss of an ecosystem?
DD Wiz Premium Member over 4 years ago
Natural fires in the old growth Amazon rain forest — the “lungs of the earth” that store great quantities of CO2 and produce 20% of the world’s oxygen — rarely occur in nature.
The current epidemic of wildfires is human caused. The new president, extreme right-wing Jair Bolsonaro, nicknamed the “Trump of the tropics,” was sworn in January 1 of 2019 and promptly announced that he was “liberating” the Amazon rainforest for the benefit of agribusiness.
Bolsonaro has rejected offers of assistance from the European Union, calling it “European imperialist intervention” in Brazil’s domestic affairs, even though Bolsonaro himself is a white of European descent, and the indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon rainforest say Bolsonaro is the one who is the European imperialist, and accuse Bolsonaro of genocide against the original inhabitants of the region.
The fires — 80,000 and counting — are not the result of lightning strikes or other natural causes; they are human caused by farmers SETTING FIRES to clear up more land for agriculture, with Bolsonaro’s blessing. Only now, with international outcry, has Bolsonaro agreed to send the military and firefighters to bring the devastation under control, while rejecting much of the international assistance offered.
Rabies65 over 4 years ago
For years, right wingers have been using “Venezuela” as a code word for their distaste for anything resembling socialism. The physical toll of capitalism appears to be much more tangible. Will the final printings of history books use “Brazil” as shorthand for the loss of an ecosystem?
kaffekup over 4 years ago
Brazil needs to learn the lesson of Easter Island. We all should.
gopher gofer over 4 years ago
and no substitutions, either…