Brazil bans burning for 60 days to defuse Amazon wildfire crisis

PORTO VELHO, Brazil - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro signed a decree on Wednesday to ban burning throughout the country for two months, government sources cited by local media said, as the authorities scramble to defuse the Amazon fires which have triggered a global outcry.

The blazes that have engulfed parts of the world's largest rainforest, crucial for maintaining a stable global climate, have also sparked a diplomatic spat between Brazil and Europe that threatens to torpedo a major trade deal.

The decree, which was scheduled to be officially published on Thursday, prohibits any burning for the next 60 days, barring some exceptions in cases of approved agricultural and forestry practices, media reported.

It comes as Bolsonaro's renewed demand that French President Emmanuel Macron withdraw "insults" against him that cast doubt on whether Brazil would accept the G7's offer of $20 million to help combat the fires.

Bolsonaro initially rejected the offer, saying on Tuesday that he would be willing to accept it only if Macron withdrew his "insults". He then appeared to change his mind to say Brazil would accept foreign aid on the condition that it controlled the funds.

But later on Wednesday, Bolsonaro fired a fresh salvo.

"Only after he withdraws what he said, ... we can talk again," he told reporters, referring to Macron.

He also accused France and Germany of "buying" the Latin American country's sovereignty with Amazon fire aid.

"It seems that $20 million is our price. Brazil doesn't have a price of 20 million or 20 trillion - it's the same thing for us," he said.

Macron has accused Bolsonaro of lying to him about his commitments on climate change and vowed to block the pending EU-Mercosur trade deal involving Brazil that took decades to negotiate.

Bolsonaro's latest remarks make him and his government appear "increasingly unhinged", said Robert Muggah, from a Rio de Janeiro think tank, the Igarape Institute.

"There don't appear to be any adults left in the room with the ability or inclination to restrain his worst impulses," Muggah said.

On Wednesday, an aide to US President Donald Trump said the United States is ready and willing to help Brazil fight Amazon fires, but only if it involves working with the Brazilian government.

"The US stands ready to assist Brazil in efforts to combat fires in the Amazon," US National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis tweeted on Wednesday.

But the Trump administration prefers a plan that includes discussion with the Brazilian government, he said.

Six former Brazilian environment ministers also met on Wednesday with Rodrigo Maia, president of the lower house of Congress, to demand stronger protections for the environment. The ministers said Brazil should accept international aid to fight the fires and accused Bolsonaro's government of dismantling environmental institutions, according to the G1 news website.

Graciela Martinez, a resident of Porto Velho, the capital of Brazil's Amazon state of Rondonia, said it was important for the world to preserve the Amazon. But she questioned the surge of international concern and aid offers this year, saying fires have been common in the past.

"I suspect that there's some kind of hidden interest behind it, because we had never seen this before. We've had bigger fires and it's only now that we have this worldwide ruckus," she said.

Agencies

(China Daily 08/30/2019 page12)