Inside Story
What triggered the Amazon fires?
Brazil’s president has deployed the army to contain devastating blazes in the Amazon.
The “green lungs” of our planet are burning, with fires across Brazil‘s Amazon region wiping out huge areas of its rainforest.
They are burning out of control in many parts of the region, and official figures show there have been more than 75,000 fires in Brazil this year alone.
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If they can not be stopped, then the world may be in real trouble, because the Amazon’s forests absorb millions of tonnes of carbon emissions every year and are crucial in regulating global warming.
The crisis has created panic among environmentalists and even some governments around the globe.
Many are blaming Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro for not doing enough to stop the blazes.
So, why has this disaster turned political?
Presenter: Julie MacDonald
Guests:
Andrew Miller – advocacy director at Amazon Watch
Simone Rosito – businesswoman, philanthropist and political commentator
Farnon Ellwood – professor of conservation science at the University of the West of England