Amazon fires: Brazil bans burning for two months to defuse crisis
- Brazil’s president has been the subject of international criticism for fanning the flames of the Amazon’s destruction
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro signed a decree Wednesday to ban burning throughout the country for two months, government sources cited in local media said, as the authorities scramble to defuse the Amazon fires which have triggered a global outcry.
The decree, which will be officially published on Thursday, prohibits any burning for the next 60 days, barring some exceptions in cases of approved agricultural and forestry practices, media reports said.
It comes as Bolsonaro’s renewed demand that French leader Emmanuel Macron withdraw “insults” against him cast doubt on whether Brazil would accept the G7’s offer of US$20 million to help combat the fires.
Bolsonaro initially rejected the G7’s offer, saying on Tuesday that he would be willing to accept it only if Macron withdrew his “insults”, before appearing to change his mind to say Brazil would accept foreign aid on the condition that it controlled the money.