Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro says his country can’t afford to fight the massive blazes raging across the Amazon rainforest.
Smoke billows during a fire in an area of the Amazon rainforest near Porto Velho.REUTERSBolsonaro, who was elected last year, has faced criticism for not doing enough to contain deforestation as the Amazon faces a record number of wildfires — which are up 84% from the same period last year.
“There aren’t the resources. This chaos has arrived,” the president told reporters on Thursday, according to the BBC.
Bolsonaro repeated claims accusing non-government groups of setting the blazes in response to being defunded by his administration.
When asked if he had any proof, Bolsonaro responded saying: “Did I accuse NGOs directly? I just said I suspect them.”
The blazes, which have ravaged parts of the states of Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará and Mato Grosso, forced Amazonas to declare a state of emergency earlier this month, Euro News reported.
With Post wires
