Celebrities Criticize Bolsonaro Ahead of US Climate Summit

On the eve of Thursday's U.S.-organized climate summit, President Joe Biden received letters from governors, politicians, artists, and intellectuals reminding the White House of the disastrous role Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has played in protecting globally important ecosystems.

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In one of the letters, 23 Brazilian governors emphasize that fight against deforestation should be the starting point for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Governors Joao Doria (Sao Paulo), Flavio Dino (Maranhao), Ronaldo Caiado (Goias), Wilson Lima (Amazonas), and Mauro Mendes (Mato Grosso) also indicate their territories can contribute substantially to emissions capture.

"Our states have funds and mechanisms created especially to respond to the climate emergency. They are available for the safe and transparent application of international resources, ensuring rapid and verifiable results," they said.

Another letter sent by the Arns Commission on Human Rights highlights that the far-right President has destroyed the institutions and laws that allowed Brazil to protect its natural habitats.

"The government has been systematically weakening environmental management. It revised and relaxed laws, repealed legal provisions, modified the composition of public entities in charge of monitoring and imposing fines, replaced senior officials with people without adequate qualifications... persecuted officials, and reduced the budget for the environment," said former ministers, lawyers, teachers, Indigenous leaders, and environmental specialists.

A third letter was signed by 35 internationally renowned artists, among whom are Alec Baldwin, Joaquin Phoenix, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Sigourney Weaver, Jane Fonda, Orlando Bloom, Roger Waters, Katy Perry, Caetano Veloso, Marisa Monte, and Sonia Braga.

"Since Bolsonaro took office in January 2019... deforestation rates have tripled. Indigenous lands, which are the most protected in the Amazon, have been invaded, deforested, and burned with impunity. The rights of Indigenous peoples, who are the guardians of the rainforest, were violated by Bolsonaro and his government," they stressed.