Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Latin America
Related: About this forumAre farmers setting the Amazon ablaze in support of Bolsonaro?
On Monday, smoke turned day to night in Sao Paulo. Residents of the city recently reported black rain. Photo by Andre Lucas / picture alliance via Getty Images
DIA DO FOGO
By Nathanael Johnson on Aug 22, 2019 at 3:35 pm
Farmers are reportedly setting fire to the Amazon rainforest to show support for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaros policy of opening up protected areas to private ownership. According to a widely disseminated article in a small newspaper, Folha do Progresso, the organizers of this Day of Fire are hoping that 2019 sets a record for burning.
Ranchers and farmers routinely use fire in tropical agriculture to clear land for planting and cattle pastures, but the practice had slowed before Bolsonaro took office in January. Brazils space research agency reported this week that fires have increased 84 percent this year compared to the dry season last year. On Monday, smoke from rampant fires plunged Sao Paulo into darkness in the afternoon.
Many news outlets have said the 74,000 fires Brazil has seen this year sets a record, but thats based on statistics that only date back to 2013. And deforestation is actually down from its peak in the 1980s. The real, undisputable news here is that theres been a spike in fires and deforestation under Bolsonaro. And given the Amazon rainforests important role in capturing carbon emissions, the stakes seem much higher.
Christian Poirier, a program director for the nonprofit Amazon Watch, said that farmers were clearly emboldened by Bolsonaro to burn forests. The fires currently ravaging the Amazon are directly related to President Bolsonaros anti-environmental rhetoric, in which he errantly frames forests and forest protections as impediments to Brazils economic growth. Farmers and ranchers understand the presidents message as a license to commit arson with wanton impunity, in order to aggressively expand their operations into the rainforest.
More:
https://grist.org/article/are-farmers-setting-day-of-fire-amazon-ablaze-to-support-bolsonaro/
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
2 replies, 689 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (8)
ReplyReply to this post
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Are farmers setting the Amazon ablaze in support of Bolsonaro? (Original Post)
Judi Lynn
Aug 2019
OP
Newest Reality
(12,712 posts)1. I guess it is not clear to them
that that is like setting fire to your own lungs.
Areas like that are the planet's lungs and many are burning up. To deliberately set fire to them is a really bad idea for everyone and all creatures on Earth. These farmers must be very estranged from the knowledge of the indigenous peoples who understood a direct, interrelationship with nature and the environment at large.
FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)2. No, it's like them setting fire to MY own lungs. And yours.