Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro Is Actively Trying To Destroy Amazon Rainforest, Say Leaked Documents
As The Inquisitr reported, the fires burning across the Amazon rainforest are believed to be entirely man-made by farmers and loggers that wish to clear land for development and logging. Not only that, it is thought that recently-elected President Jair Bolsonaro supports the efforts.
The Independent reports that leaked documents reveal that Bolsonaro’s government is actively trying to sabotage conservation efforts of the rainforest to make way for motorways, bridges, and hydroelectric plants in the jungle.
The leaked documents, which are available on political website openDemocracy, include Powerpoint slides that are reported to have been presented at a February meeting between the Brazilian government and local leaders in Para state, which houses Amazonia National Park.
“Development projects must be implemented on the Amazon basin to integrate it into the rest of the national territory in order to fight off international pressure for the implementation of the so-called ‘Triple A’ [conservation] project,” one slide reads, referring to the Triple A conservation effort between Gaia Amazonas, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), and international governments
“To do this, it is necessary to build the Trombetas river hydroelectric plant, the Óbidos bridge over the Amazon river, and the implementation of the BR-163 highway to the border,” it continues.
According to Richard George, head of forests at Greenpeace, the recent rainforest fires weren’t just to clear land but to signal support for Bolsonaro’s plan of developing the Amazon in the South American country.
“What he has done through his words and deeds is given the go-ahead to farmers and illegal loggers, encouraging them into indigenous communities.”
Bolsonaro is a threat to the entire planethttps://t.co/cICndK1nRh
— Volt UK (@UkVolt) August 22, 2019
Bolsonaro admitted Thursday that farmers might be lighting the fires that are ripping through the Amazon. But he cautioned world leaders against meddling in Brazil’s affairs. The Week reports that his comments came after French President Emmanuel Macron, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, and the Bishops Conference for Latin America expressed concern about the fires.
RTE reports that Bolsonaro is no stranger to controversy. He won Brazil’s election by capitalizing on the country’s frustration over corruption and crime and has the backing of millions of evangelical Christians that are in favor of his anti-abortion stance. He previously said he would not pay a woman the same salary because women get pregnant, although he later said he was misinterpreted and simply speaking for employers.
Bolsonaro also praised Brazil’s 1964 to 1985 military dictatorship — which reportedly included the use of torture — and has been accused of racism.
