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Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 23 Aug 2019
Emmanuel Macron Twitter page
Paris: The wildfires raging in the Amazon forest for the past three weeks have caught the attention of global political leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, who called the incident as an 'international crisis'.
The extent of the area damaged by fires has yet to be determined, but smoke has choked Sao Paulo and several other Brazilian cities in the past week.
Macron said the issue needs to be discussed in the upcoming G7 Summit.
" 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! #ActForTheAmazon," he 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! #ActForTheAmazon pic.twitter.com/dogOJj9big
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 22, 2019
Meanwhile, his comment triggered a controversy as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has criticised his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, as having a "colonialist mentality" for rallying G-7 countries to discuss the ongoing Amazon rain forest fires during the upcoming G7 summit.
"The French president's suggestion that Amazonian issues be discussed at the G7 without the participation of the countries of the region evokes a misplaced colonialist mindset, which does not belong in the 21st century," he wrote on social media as reported by BBC.
Meanwhile, UN chief Antonio Guterres reacted to the fire incident and said Amazon must be protected.
"I’m deeply concerned by the fires in the Amazon rainforest. In the midst of the global climate crisis, we cannot afford more damage to a major source of oxygen and biodiversity. The Amazon must be protected," he tweeted.
I’m deeply concerned by the fires in the Amazon rainforest. In the midst of the global climate crisis, we cannot afford more damage to a major source of oxygen and biodiversity.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) August 22, 2019
The Amazon must be protected.
The wildfires in the Amazon rain forest have drawn international attention. According to the satellite data provided by the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE), this year, the wildfire area increased by 82 percent compared to 2018.
Experts from across the world are warning about grave consequences of the fires.
Organizations, activists, and social media users worldwide have reacted to the news with alarm. #PrayForTheAmazon and other variations of the hashtag are trending globally on Twitter, with hundreds of thousands of tweets. As images and news of the fire spread, many are demanding accountability from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, reported CNN.
When Bolsonaro was running for president, he made campaign promises to restore the economy by exploring the Amazon's economic potential. Now, environmental organizations say he has encouraged ranchers, farmers, and loggers to exploit and burn the rainforest like never before with a sense of impunity, reported the American news channel.