LOS ANGELES (dpa-AFX) – Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has rejected criticism of the deforestation of the rainforest in the Amazon region. “We are one of the countries that protects its environment and its forests the most,” said the right-wing populist head of state on Friday at the Organization of American States (OAS) summit in Los Angeles. “84 percent of the Amazon region is intact. That’s where we have the greatest biodiversity in the world.” No other country has such comprehensive environmental laws. By far the largest part of the Amazon forest is in Brazil.
Environmentalists have criticized Bolsonaro for not doing enough to stop deforestation. They accuse him of having created a social climate in which farmers also feel encouraged to take land illegally. It has also weakened environmental and control authorities. Deforestation increased significantly during his tenure. Above all, the President sees untapped economic potential in the Amazon region. He wants to open up even more land for agriculture, mining and energy production.
In view of an impending food shortage due to the Ukraine war, Bolsonaro emphasized the importance of his country for food production. “We feed a billion people. Without our agriculture, half of humanity would starve,” he said at the America Summit. “Only 27 percent of our land is used for livestock and agriculture. We don’t need the Amazon to drive our agribusiness.”
/dde/DP/he