Last year, the country shipped 1.64 million tonnes of beef, which generated $6.57 billion in revenue, according to theBrazilian Beef Exporters Association.
Ana Folhadella, communications and development manager of the Amazon Conservation Association, also tells PEOPLE that the neighboring country of Bolivia has lost “an estimated 1 million acres” of land in the fires.
Amazon rainforest on fire.STR/AFP/Getty
The trend in meat production has the support of President Bolsonaro, who has condemned deforestation warnings that could interfere with trade negotiations. Activists have noted that the surge in fires began when he took office in January.
Unfortunately for environmentalists, the responsibility for putting out the fires ultimately rests in the government’s hands.
“It’s the government’s responsibility to do that,” Moira Birss, a finance campaign director of Amazon Watch, tells PEOPLE. “The Brazilian government has been promoting the bulldozing of the Amazon and it is unlikely they will take urgent steps to put out the fires.”
Birss went on to add that she believes “international pressure” could shame his administration “into doing something for the forest.”
“It’s unfortunate it took these massive fires in the Amazon to draw attention to the danger the Amazon is in. The danger has increased since Bolsonaro took office, and these companies are making it possible for him to do deforestation,” she says. “If no one was buying these products or investing in these companies doing this agribusiness, there would not be a market.”
Wildfire in Brazil.Corpo de Bombeiros de Mato Grosso/AP/Shutterstock
ROGERIO FLORENTINO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
As the devastating fires continue to destroy the forests, several countries have publicly moved to take a stand against Brazil.
On Friday, Finland’s finance ministry released a statement calling for the European Union to “urgently review the possibility of banning Brazilian beef imports,” according toReuters.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has also spoken about the possibility of blocking a free trade deal, which willlift a 20 percent taxon imports of beef to the European Union, CNN reported. The trade agreement, which wasagreed upon in June, has yet to be implemented.
Calling the fires an “international crisis,” French President Emmanuel Macron hasaccused Bolsonaro of lyingabout his position regarding climate change.
Macron spoke out against the right-wing leader on Thursday, tweeting, “Our house is burning. Literally.”
“The Amazon rain forest – the lungs which produces 20% of our planet’s oxygen – is on fire. It is an international crisis,” he added. “Members of the G7 Summit, let’s discuss this emergency first order in two days!”
A statement from the president’s office on Friday added that Macron “can only conclude that President Bolsonaro lied to him” as “the decisions and statements from Brazil these recent weeks show clearly that President Bolsonaro hasdecided to not respect his commitments on the climate,” according toUSA Today.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has also said the fires should be added to the agenda, according toThe New York Times.
“I regret that Macron seeks to make personal political gains in an internal matter for Brazil and other Amazonian countries. The sensationalist tone he used does nothing to solve the problem,” he wrote on Twitter,USA Todayreported.
Amid the mounting pressure, Bolsonaro signaled on Friday that he’s considering sending the country’s army to fight the fires,NPRreported.
source: people.com
