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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said Friday that news warning about irreversible destruction of the Amazon is a "nuisance," a day after official estimates from his government revealed record deforestation in 15 years.
"Is there illegal deforestation? There is. It is enough that other countries do not buy our wood, it's simple," said the president in his weekly live broadcast on social networks.
"Is there illegal burning? There are, but not in that proportion that some people say. And we fight them. Some say 'you have to fight them more'... do you know the size of the Amazon, how many countries in Europe fit in the Amazon?" he added.
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Bolsonaro did not refer directly to data released Thursday by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), which estimate that there was deforestation of 13,235 km² between August 2020 and July 2021, an increase of 22% over the previous period and the worst levels in 15 years.
But he criticized what he considers "lies" about the destruction in the Amazon, 60% of which is located in Brazil.
"While we strive like bastards to bring a good image of Brazil abroad, lousy Brazilians come out to criticize the country, to tell lies about the Amazon," said the president.
"Look at this article: 'The Amazon is close to an irreversible point and may turn into a desert'. It is the same old annoyance. Articles mostly sponsored by Brazilians working against their country," he added.
The increase in deforestation in the 2020-2021 period, the third annual under the Bolsonaro government, calls into question Brazil's promise to reverse this trend and eliminate illegal deforestation by 2028, as pledged at the last UN climate change conference, COP26.
The government is also being accused of having deliberately delayed the release of the data until after COP26 to avoid further international criticism, which blames it for promoting these increases by weakening control in the biome and with its favorable discourse on extractive activities in protected areas.
According to scientists, several places on the planet are exposed to decisive moments, turning points that can affect the entire ecosystem of the planet.
The Amazon rainforest could undergo a process of "savanization" that would irremediably affect the planet's capacity to recycle CO2.
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