Syed Mansoor Qutab
Jair Bolsonaro became an immediate threat to the world, over the past couple of weeks just by declaring that they would rather let the Amazon burn than accept help from the world in this time of crisis. Even though a state of emergency was declared, Bolsonaro did not find it his top priority to contain the fires, and save the Amazon.
He is now engaged in a vicious battle of words against Emmanuel Macron, and rejecting aid from the world, blatantly holding the Amazon, the climate and consequently, Mother Earth hostage. Jair Bolsonaro rejected the aid for the sole reason that Macron did not apologize for insulting him over Twitter. He later changed face, by saying that they would accept the $22 million, on the condition that Brazil be able to decide how the amount would be utilized.
Even though the National Institute of Space Research in Brazil stated that 99% of the Amazon fires can be attributed to humans, but Brazil’s Environment Minister contradicted the statistics, claiming it is a natural disaster. We know from facts, and their years of practice that farmers in the Amazon burn the rainforest to make way for livestock, and agriculture, but Brazil’s denial of human involvement is alarming.
Even if the Amazon did not burn with this fury, Bolsonaro’s plans for the Amazon are destruction beyond imagination. He wants to use the area to build a dam, on the Amazon river. This will be catastrophic for the climate, as well as the indigenous population of the Amazon rainforest. Holding 64% of the Amazon Rainforest, that produces 20% of the world’s oxygen is of great responsibility. The Brazilian government, and Jair Bolsonaro have not been as responsible as they should have been. Their disregard for the Environmental red tape placed by the Paris Climate Accord, is concerning, to say the least.
When the statistics show that with each passing minute 3 football fields worth of forestry is being burnt to ash, every aid that comes through must be accepted. It is no longer an internal matter, but a multilateral issue that requires the world to intervene. Aid from the likes of the Brazilian Military, population, international celebrities, organizations, and countries must be wholeheartedly accepted. However, because of Brazil’s ability to politicize the issue at hand, the Amazon burns, and the world will have to bear the consequences of the actions by one nation’s rogue leader.
As the Amazon burns, the ozone layer depletes because of the destructive fumes that rise. This in turn leads to turbulent weather conditions, and contributes to global warming. Mother Earth is now rapidly losing years of its life, as the lungs of the Earth burn, just as a cigarette takes years away from a human body.
