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<p>French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/social-media-erupts-as-fire-rages-in-amazon-rainforest-244780">Amazon wildfires</a> were "an international crisis" and called on the globe's most industrialized nations to address it at their summit this weekend.</p>

<p>Official figures show nearly 73,000 forest fires were recorded in Brazil in the first eight months of the year -- the highest number for any year since 2013. Most were in the Amazon.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>"Our house is on fire. Literally. The Amazon, the lung of our planet which produces 20 per cent of our oxygen is burning," Macron said on Twitter.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"It is an international crisis. Members of the G7, let's talk in two days about this emergency."</p>

<p>That did not sit well with Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">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! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ActForTheAmazon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ActForTheAmazon</a> <a href="https://t.co/dogOJj9big">pic.twitter.com/dogOJj9big</a></p>
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) <a href="https://twitter.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/1164617008962527232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p>"The French president's suggestion that Amazon issues be discussed at the G-7 without participation by the countries in the region evokes a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-amazon-burns-brazils-jair-bolsonaro-tells-rest-of-world-not-to-interfere-244909">colonialist mentality</a> that is out of place in the 21st century," Bolsonaro wrote on Twitter.</p>

<p>Neighboring Peru, which contains much of the Amazon basin, announced it was "on alert" for wildfires spreading from the rainforest in Brazil and Bolivia.</p>

<p>Paraguay and Bolivia are battling separate wildfires that have devastated large areas of their rainforests.</p>

<p>Paris and the United Nations called Thursday for the protection of the fire-plagued Amazon rainforest as Brazil's right-wing president accused his French counterpart of having a "colonialist mentality" over the issue.</p>

<p>UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply concerned" by the fires.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"In the midst of the global climate crisis, we cannot afford more damage to a major source of oxygen and biodiversity," he said on Twitter.</p>

<p>"The Amazon must be protected."</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from AFP)&nbsp;</em></p>


French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said the Amazon wildfires were "an international crisis" and called on the globe's most industrialized nations to address it at their summit this weekend.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said the Amazon wildfires were "an international crisis" and called on the globe's most industrialized nations to address it at their summit this weekend. Official figures show nearly 73,000 forest fires were recorded in Brazil in the first eight months of the year -- the highest number for any year since 2013. Most were in the Amazon. 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. "Our house is on fire. Literally. The Amazon, the lung of our planet which produces 20 per cent of our oxygen is burning," Macron said on Twitter. "It is an international crisis. Members of the G7, let's talk in two days about this emergency." That did not sit well with Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro. 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 × "The French president's suggestion that Amazon issues be discussed at the G-7 without participation by the countries in the region evokes a colonialist mentality that is out of place in the 21st century," Bolsonaro wrote on Twitter. Neighboring Peru, which contains much of the Amazon basin, announced it was "on alert" for wildfires spreading from the rainforest in Brazil and Bolivia. Paraguay and Bolivia are battling separate wildfires that have devastated large areas of their rainforests. Paris and the United Nations called Thursday for the protection of the fire-plagued Amazon rainforest as Brazil's right-wing president accused his French counterpart of having a "colonialist mentality" over the issue. UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply concerned" by the fires. "In the midst of the global climate crisis, we cannot afford more damage to a major source of oxygen and biodiversity," he said on Twitter. "The Amazon must be protected." (With inputs from AFP)

Amazon rainforest fires: 'Our house is on fire', says Macron ahead of G7 Summit

Amazon wildfires: How celebrities are spreading disinformation

<p>Bollywood celebrities have come together to raise their voice for the Amazon rainforests in Brazil as they have been engulfed in multiple fires for the past three weeks.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Home to a variety of flora and fauna, several acres of rainforest has been lost already with a lot of loss to natural resources. This is not, however, the first time that Amazon has come under scanner as there have been reportedly 72,843 fires in this year alone out of which half of them have been reported from the Amazon itself.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Among the firsts to write on the issue was Alia Bhatt who wrote, "The `lungs of our planet` are burning! The Amazon Rainforest is home to about 3 Mn species of plants &amp; animals and 1 Mn indigenous people. It plays an important role in keeping the planet`s carbon dioxide levels in check. We won`t exist without it! #SaveTheAmazon #PrayforAmazonas."</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The 'lungs of our planet' are burning! The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmazonRainforest?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AmazonRainforest</a> is home to about 3 Mn species of plants &amp; animals and 1 Mn indigenous people. It plays an important role in keeping the planet's carbon dioxide levels in check. We won't exist without it! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaveTheAmazon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SaveTheAmazon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PrayforAmazonas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PrayforAmazonas</a> <a href="https://t.co/9rKfTYXolL">https://t.co/9rKfTYXolL</a></p>
— Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) <a href="https://twitter.com/aliaa08/status/1164425873874833409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p>Akshay Kumar also spoke about the issue and tweeted, “Been seeing heart-breaking &amp; alarming pictures of the Amazon rainforest which has been on fire since more than 2 weeks!It is responsible for 20% of the world’s oxygen.This affects each one of us...the earth may survive climate change but we won’t. #SaveTheAmazon #PrayForTheAmazon.”</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Been seeing heart-breaking &amp; alarming pictures of the Amazon rainforest which has been on fire since more than 2 weeks!It is responsible for 20% of the world’s oxygen.This affects each one of us...the earth may survive climate change but we won’t. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaveTheAmazon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SaveTheAmazon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PrayForTheAmazon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PrayForTheAmazon</a></p>
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) <a href="https://twitter.com/akshaykumar/status/1164448440581087237?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p>Anushka Sharma who is also an animal lover urged world media to pay more attention to the issue."The Amazon rainforest has been burning for weeks and we are only just finding out this!! This is such scary news! Amazon forests are the lungs of this already suffering planet and they are on fire now! I wish this got more importance from world media!!" she wrote on Instagram story.</p>

<p>Actress Dia Mirza who is an environment enthusiast and is a part of several campaigns associated with the same issue wrote, "Earth`s lungs have been on fire for the last 16 days. 72000 have been recorded only this year in the Amazon. Climate Change in REAL.”</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Deniers of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ClimateChange?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ClimateChange</a> our cities are now shrouded in darkness by the fires caused by your denial! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ClimateChangeIsReal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ClimateChangeIsReal</a> The Amazon forest (Earth’s lungs) have been on fire for the last 16 days and 72000 fires have occurred this year. <a href="https://t.co/GjBIVuXgIh">https://t.co/GjBIVuXgIh</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PrayforAmazonas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PrayforAmazonas</a></p>
— Dia Mirza (@deespeak) <a href="https://twitter.com/deespeak/status/1164197919479648256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p>Meanwhile, Richa Chaddha also tweeted to raise awareness and wrote, "We`ve lost our home to corporate greed... a phrase like `climate change` which didn`t feature in anyone`s dictionary till a few decades ago, will now be responsible for our extinction.”</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We’ve lost our home to corporate greed... a phrase like ‘climate change’ which didn’t feature in anyone’s dictionary till a few decades ago, will now be responsible for our extinction.<br />
Thread : <a href="https://t.co/qJgWilGx6x">https://t.co/qJgWilGx6x</a></p>
— TheRichaChadha (@RichaChadha) <a href="https://twitter.com/RichaChadha/status/1164384937287589888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p>Other celebrities including Sonam Kapoor, Esha Gupta, Ishaan Khatter, Kajal Aggrawal, Bipasha Basu also asserted that “climate Change is real”.</p>

<p>The photographs of the fires have been taking the internet like wildfire literally with now many Hollywood and Bollywood celebs coming out to talk about it.</p>


Bollywood celebrities have come together to raise their voice for the Amazon rainforests in Brazil as they have been engulfed in multiple fires for the past three weeks.

Bollywood celebrities have come together to raise their voice for the Amazon rainforests in Brazil as they have been engulfed in multiple fires for the past three weeks. Home to a variety of flora and fauna, several acres of rainforest has been lost already with a lot of loss to natural resources. This is not, however, the first time that Amazon has come under scanner as there have been reportedly 72,843 fires in this year alone out of which half of them have been reported from the Amazon itself. Among the firsts to write on the issue was Alia Bhatt who wrote, "The `lungs of our planet` are burning! The Amazon Rainforest is home to about 3 Mn species of plants & animals and 1 Mn indigenous people. It plays an important role in keeping the planet`s carbon dioxide levels in check. We won`t exist without it! #SaveTheAmazon #PrayforAmazonas." The 'lungs of our planet' are burning! The #AmazonRainforest is home to about 3 Mn species of plants & animals and 1 Mn indigenous people. It plays an important role in keeping the planet's carbon dioxide levels in check. We won't exist without it! #SaveTheAmazon #PrayforAmazonas https://t.co/9rKfTYXolL — Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) August 22, 2019 × Akshay Kumar also spoke about the issue and tweeted, “Been seeing heart-breaking & alarming pictures of the Amazon rainforest which has been on fire since more than 2 weeks!It is responsible for 20% of the world’s oxygen.This affects each one of us...the earth may survive climate change but we won’t. #SaveTheAmazon #PrayForTheAmazon.” Been seeing heart-breaking & alarming pictures of the Amazon rainforest which has been on fire since more than 2 weeks!It is responsible for 20% of the world’s oxygen.This affects each one of us...the earth may survive climate change but we won’t. #SaveTheAmazon #PrayForTheAmazon — Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) August 22, 2019 × Anushka Sharma who is also an animal lover urged world media to pay more attention to the issue."The Amazon rainforest has been burning for weeks and we are only just finding out this!! This is such scary news! Amazon forests are the lungs of this already suffering planet and they are on fire now! I wish this got more importance from world media!!" she wrote on Instagram story. Actress Dia Mirza who is an environment enthusiast and is a part of several campaigns associated with the same issue wrote, "Earth`s lungs have been on fire for the last 16 days. 72000 have been recorded only this year in the Amazon. Climate Change in REAL.” Deniers of #ClimateChange our cities are now shrouded in darkness by the fires caused by your denial! #ClimateChangeIsReal The Amazon forest (Earth’s lungs) have been on fire for the last 16 days and 72000 fires have occurred this year. https://t.co/GjBIVuXgIh #PrayforAmazonas — Dia Mirza (@deespeak) August 21, 2019 × Meanwhile, Richa Chaddha also tweeted to raise awareness and wrote, "We`ve lost our home to corporate greed... a phrase like `climate change` which didn`t feature in anyone`s dictionary till a few decades ago, will now be responsible for our extinction.” We’ve lost our home to corporate greed... a phrase like ‘climate change’ which didn’t feature in anyone’s dictionary till a few decades ago, will now be responsible for our extinction. Thread : https://t.co/qJgWilGx6x — TheRichaChadha (@RichaChadha) August 22, 2019 × Other celebrities including Sonam Kapoor, Esha Gupta, Ishaan Khatter, Kajal Aggrawal, Bipasha Basu also asserted that “climate Change is real”. The photographs of the fires have been taking the internet like wildfire literally with now many Hollywood and Bollywood celebs coming out to talk about it.

Akshay Kumar, Alia Bhatt and other B-Town stars raise their voice for Amazon forest fires

Social media erupts as fire rages in Amazon rainforest

The world is losing Amazon rainforest at a record rate as it has seen a record number of fires this year.

World is losing Amazon rainforest at a record rate

<p>Brazil's<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bolsonaro-says-claims-of-hunger-in-brazil-a-big-lie-237226"> President Jair Bolsonaro</a> vowed Saturday to combat "illegal deforestation," a day after the head of the agency that measures deforestation said he was being sacked after a row over the scale of the problem in the Amazon rainforest.</p>

<p>"We are going to act effectively in the fight against illegal deforestation," Bolsonaro wrote on his Facebook account, along with a video in which environment minister Ricardo Salles said the government would bring in new technology to measure deforestation with greater precision.</p>

<p>A day earlier, the head of Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Ricardo Galvao, said he was being sacked after a row with Bolsonaro over deforestation.</p>

<p>Bolsonaro, a climate change sceptic, claimed the INPE figures "don't correspond to the truth" and were damaging to the institute and the country.</p>

<p>The president has previously floated the idea of opening up protected rainforest areas to agriculture, a highly controversial move given the existing level of deforestation.</p>

<p>"We cannot accept sensationalism or the disclosure of inaccurate numbers that cause great damage to Brazil's image," Bolsonaro said, reiterating comments from his row over the INPE figures.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The latest data released by INPE, an institution of international repute, shows that deforestation has increased 40 per cent in the last two months compared to the same period a year ago.</p>

<p>On Thursday, Bolsonaro, Salles and other ministers had refuted the INPE satellite data and said the methodologies for measuring deforestation would be changed.</p>

<p>The government admits <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/under-brazils-jair-bolsonaro-rule-amazon-deforestation-accelerates-239233#may-reach-its-tipping-point-239239">deforestation</a> has increased but insists it is not as great as indicated by the agency.</p>

<p>The sacking of Galvao fueled criticism from environmental groups.</p>

<p>"Bolsonaro knows that his government is primarily responsible for the current destruction of the Amazon. The dismissal of the director of INPE is nothing more than an act of revenge against those who show the truth," said Marcio Astrini from Greenpeace.</p>

<p>For many years, NGOs defending the environment and the territorial rights of indigenous people have criticized the agriculture industry and major landowners for constantly trying to expand into virgin lands, including those protected by law.</p>

<p>Bolsonaro, though, was helped in his election last year by support from the powerful agriculture lobby.</p>

<p>The president suffered a blow on Thursday when the Supreme Court cancelled a decree transferring the right to demarcate indigenous lands from the National Indian Foundation to the Ministry of Agriculture, a bulwark of the agriculture industry's interests.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro vowed Saturday to combat "illegal deforestation," a day after the head of the agency that measures deforestation said he was being sacked after a row over the scale of the problem in the Amazon rainforest.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro vowed Saturday to combat "illegal deforestation," a day after the head of the agency that measures deforestation said he was being sacked after a row over the scale of the problem in the Amazon rainforest. "We are going to act effectively in the fight against illegal deforestation," Bolsonaro wrote on his Facebook account, along with a video in which environment minister Ricardo Salles said the government would bring in new technology to measure deforestation with greater precision. A day earlier, the head of Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Ricardo Galvao, said he was being sacked after a row with Bolsonaro over deforestation. Bolsonaro, a climate change sceptic, claimed the INPE figures "don't correspond to the truth" and were damaging to the institute and the country. The president has previously floated the idea of opening up protected rainforest areas to agriculture, a highly controversial move given the existing level of deforestation. "We cannot accept sensationalism or the disclosure of inaccurate numbers that cause great damage to Brazil's image," Bolsonaro said, reiterating comments from his row over the INPE figures. The latest data released by INPE, an institution of international repute, shows that deforestation has increased 40 per cent in the last two months compared to the same period a year ago. On Thursday, Bolsonaro, Salles and other ministers had refuted the INPE satellite data and said the methodologies for measuring deforestation would be changed. The government admits deforestation has increased but insists it is not as great as indicated by the agency. The sacking of Galvao fueled criticism from environmental groups. "Bolsonaro knows that his government is primarily responsible for the current destruction of the Amazon. The dismissal of the director of INPE is nothing more than an act of revenge against those who show the truth," said Marcio Astrini from Greenpeace. For many years, NGOs defending the environment and the territorial rights of indigenous people have criticized the agriculture industry and major landowners for constantly trying to expand into virgin lands, including those protected by law. Bolsonaro, though, was helped in his election last year by support from the powerful agriculture lobby. The president suffered a blow on Thursday when the Supreme Court cancelled a decree transferring the right to demarcate indigenous lands from the National Indian Foundation to the Ministry of Agriculture, a bulwark of the agriculture industry's interests.

President Jair Bolsonaro vows to fight 'illegal deforestation' in Brazil

Under Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro rule, Amazon deforestation rising towards unrecoverable 'tipping point'

<p>Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said Friday there was no hunger in the country, citing the lack of rail-thin poor people in the streets as proof.</p>

<p>Speaking to foreign journalists, Bolsonaro blamed "populists" for propagating "a big lie" that some of Brazil's 209 million people did not have enough to eat.</p>

<p>"There is no hunger," the far-right leader said, noting Brazil "was rich in practically every type of crop".&nbsp;</p>

<p>"You don't see poor people in the street with bone-thin bodies like in other countries.</p>

<p>"To say that there is hunger in Brazil is a populist discourse to try to win popular sympathy, nothing more than that."</p>

<p>But after widespread coverage of his remarks &nbsp;and social media criticism, Bolsonaro backtracked, saying that "Brazilians eat poorly. And some people are hungry.</p>

<p>"And that is unacceptable in a country as rich as ours, with as much arable land as we have and more than enough water."&nbsp;</p>

<p>But "we have diet problems here in Brazil. We have them, it's not my fault, and that was here before I was," Bolsonaro stressed.</p>

<p>Often dubbed the "Trump of the tropics," Bolsonaro slammed the reporting as "fake news."</p>

<p>Latest figures from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization show 5.1 million Brazilians are "undernourished."&nbsp;</p>

<p>But the proportion of the population suffering had fallen to less than 2.5 percent between 2008 and 2010, compared with 11.9 percent in the 1999-2001 period.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The FAO attributed the decline to social welfare programs introduced by the leftwing government of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, including the Zero Hunger campaign.</p>

<p>In a recent interview with O Globo, Rodrigo Maia, the powerful head of the lower chamber of Congress, accused Bolsonaro of showing no concern for the poor.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>What deforestation?&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>Bolsonaro also told the foreign journalists that he was skeptical of reports of increased deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.</p>

<p>The president is suspicious of foreign interest in the rainforest, seeing control of the region as an issue of national sovereignty.</p>

<p>"With all the devastation that you are accusing us of doing ... the Amazon region would already have been extinguished," he told the reporters.</p>

<p>However according to Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), satellite data shows Amazon rainforest deforestation has increased 88 percent in June compared to the same period one year earlier.</p>

<p>Bolsonaro said he has called on the head of INPE "to come to Brasilia to explain the data that was released to the press."</p>

<p>Furthermore, Bolsonaro slammed as "disinformation" news that Brazilian farmers are heavy users of toxic pesticides -- an issue that could create problems for a free trade agreement between the South American Mercosur trade bloc and the European Union.</p>

<p>"Brazil is the country that least uses toxic pesticides because if we were selling poison, you wouldn't be buying. I'm surprised by this disinformation," he said.</p>


Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said Friday there was no hunger in the country, citing the lack of rail-thin poor people in the streets as proof. Speaking to foreign journalists, Bolsonaro blamed "populists" for propagating "a big lie" that some of Brazil's 209 million people did not have enough to eat.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said Friday there was no hunger in the country, citing the lack of rail-thin poor people in the streets as proof. Speaking to foreign journalists, Bolsonaro blamed "populists" for propagating "a big lie" that some of Brazil's 209 million people did not have enough to eat. "There is no hunger," the far-right leader said, noting Brazil "was rich in practically every type of crop". "You don't see poor people in the street with bone-thin bodies like in other countries. "To say that there is hunger in Brazil is a populist discourse to try to win popular sympathy, nothing more than that." But after widespread coverage of his remarks and social media criticism, Bolsonaro backtracked, saying that "Brazilians eat poorly. And some people are hungry. "And that is unacceptable in a country as rich as ours, with as much arable land as we have and more than enough water." But "we have diet problems here in Brazil. We have them, it's not my fault, and that was here before I was," Bolsonaro stressed. Often dubbed the "Trump of the tropics," Bolsonaro slammed the reporting as "fake news." Latest figures from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization show 5.1 million Brazilians are "undernourished." But the proportion of the population suffering had fallen to less than 2.5 percent between 2008 and 2010, compared with 11.9 percent in the 1999-2001 period. The FAO attributed the decline to social welfare programs introduced by the leftwing government of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, including the Zero Hunger campaign. In a recent interview with O Globo, Rodrigo Maia, the powerful head of the lower chamber of Congress, accused Bolsonaro of showing no concern for the poor. What deforestation? Bolsonaro also told the foreign journalists that he was skeptical of reports of increased deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. The president is suspicious of foreign interest in the rainforest, seeing control of the region as an issue of national sovereignty. "With all the devastation that you are accusing us of doing ... the Amazon region would already have been extinguished," he told the reporters. However according to Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), satellite data shows Amazon rainforest deforestation has increased 88 percent in June compared to the same period one year earlier. Bolsonaro said he has called on the head of INPE "to come to Brasilia to explain the data that was released to the press." Furthermore, Bolsonaro slammed as "disinformation" news that Brazilian farmers are heavy users of toxic pesticides -- an issue that could create problems for a free trade agreement between the South American Mercosur trade bloc and the European Union. "Brazil is the country that least uses toxic pesticides because if we were selling poison, you wouldn't be buying. I'm surprised by this disinformation," he said.

Bolsonaro says claims of hunger in Brazil 'a big lie'

Deforestation in Brazil's portion of the Amazon rainforest soared more than 88% in June compared with the same month a year ago, the second consecutive month of rising forest destruction under new right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro.

Tropical rainforest destruction accelerating under Brazilian government