Sao Paulo
Brazil’s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday accused non-governmental organisations of setting wildfires in the Amazon rainforest to damage his government’s image after he cut their funding. Bolsonaro, who has shocked environmentalists with plans to open the Amazon to business interests, said NGOs could be behind the record number of wildfires this year, although he presented no evidence to backup his claim. Bolsonaro said “everything indicates” that NGOs are going to the Amazon to “set fire” to the forest. When asked if he had evidence to back up his claims, he said he had “no written plan,” adding “that’s not how it’s done.”—Reuters
