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https://scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3030202/brazils-president-jair-bolsonaro-rejects-fallacy-amazon-bring
World/ Americas

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro rejects ‘fallacy’ of Amazon being part of human heritage

  • The far-right leader told the United Nations that the rainforest is his country’s sovereign territory and not ‘the lungs of the world’
  • He also denied that the Amazon was being devastated and accused world leaders of approaching the recent fires in a colonialist manner
President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil speaks at the United Nations on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, who has come under attack for wildfires that are raging in the Amazon, told the United Nations on Tuesday that the rainforest is his country’s sovereign territory.

“It is a fallacy to say that the Amazon is the heritage of humankind, and a misconception confirmed by scientists to say that our Amazon forests are the lungs of the world,” he said.

Smoke billows during a fire in an area of the Amazon rainforest near Porto Velho on September 17. Photo: Reuters
Smoke billows during a fire in an area of the Amazon rainforest near Porto Velho on September 17. Photo: Reuters

Bolsonaro then hit out at detractors, saying that while every country had problems, sensational reporting in the international media “aroused our patriotic sentiments.”

“Using and resorting to these fallacies, certain countries, instead of helping … behaved in a disrespectful manner and with a colonialist spirit,” he said.

“They even called into question that which we hold as a most sacred value, our sovereignty.”

Logs lay at a timber mill surrounded by recently charred and deforested fields near Porto Velho. Photo: AP
Logs lay at a timber mill surrounded by recently charred and deforested fields near Porto Velho. Photo: AP

He also defended his record on the treatment of indigenous people and said many backed him.

“Some people both inside and outside Brazil, supported by NGOs … have insisted on treating and keeping our Indians as though they were real cavemen,” he said.

Bolsonaro’s presence in New York has sparked several protests.

On Tuesday morning, some held a demonstration near the UN, holding a giant puppet and placards like “Bolsonaro, your hatred is not welcome here” and “Bolsonaro, a threat to the Earth.”

More were planned in front of his hotel in the evening.