Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron demanded an international debate on the forest fires sweeping across the Amazon Rainforest calling it a necessity. He said, “Our house is burning. Literally. The Amazon rainforest – the lungs which produce 20 per cent of our planet’s oxygen – is on fire, which is formidable and extensive. It is a global crisis. I urge the G7 nations to debate on the matter on a priority basis in the next two days”. However, Brazil, being one of the countries through which the Amazon spreads, has condemned Macron’s statement and accused him of exploiting the matter for his personal political gain.
A very large number of fires were observed successively in the last month with most of them occurring in the Amazon forest. The NGO’s have blamed the farmers and woodcutters for having initiated the fires, but Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro holds the NGO’s responsible for it. However, the accusations have attracted international condemnation.
The forest fires also hit the many Latin American nations through which the Amazon Rainforest spreads across. More than 10,000 locations are on fire in the Latin American countries along with Brazil, sources claim. According to government agencies, the number of forest fires in Brazil alone had soared by 85% this year as compared to last year. Also, nearly 2,500 kilometres of land area in the country was scorched due to the fires.
Internationally, intense and emotional reactions have begun to emerge over the Amazon fires. Various leaders, artists and athletes from the US and Europe have expressed deep anguish on the wildfires ravaging the Amazon over social media. President Macron’s appeal on initiating the G7 summit in France has drawn much attention. Nevertheless, Bolsonaro denounced the call saying the statement evoked a misplaced colonial mindset.
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