Brasilia, August 28
The governors of nine Brazilian states, worst affected by a record number of fires, have urged President Jair Bolsonaro to accept foreign aid to fight the blazes, the media reported on Wednesday.
Bolsonaro had earlier refused a G7 offer of $22 million following a spat with French President Emmanuel Macron. Offering aid, the latter had said that the fires were “two times the surface area of France” and damaging the “most important lungs of the planet”.
The Brazilian leader, however, said his country was not a “colonial territory” and that there was “a hidden agenda” behind Macron’s offer. But following a meeting between the governors and Bolsonaro, the government shifted its position on aid. It said it would accept it as long as it had control of what to spend it on. Bolsonaro said he would consider doing so if Macron apologized for insulting him by calling him a liar.
A record number of fires are burning in Brazil, most of them in the Amazon region. The Amazon is a vital carbon store that slows down the pace of global warming.
Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio also pledged $5 million to help fight the fires. Apple CEO Tim Cook also tweeted that the company would be “donating to help preserve the Amazon rainforest’s biodiversity” but he did not name a figure.
The government says it has deployed 44,000 soldiers to seven states to combat the fires. Prosecutors were also investigating allegations that some of the fires were trigged by the illegal clearing of land. — IANS
Respiratory ailments
Porto Velho: Lingering smoke in the Amazon has caused concern among Brazilians who say that respiratory problems — particularly among children and the elderly — have increased as fires in the region rage. “The kids are affected the most,” said Elane Diaz, a nurse in the Rondonia state capital of Porto Velho, as she waited for a doctor at the city’s 9 of August hospital with her 5-year-old-son Eduardo. “This period has been very tough. The smoke causes many problems,” Daniel Pires, a pediatrician and the hospital’s adjunct-director said. AP
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