Amazon in Flames

Over the past ten days we've learned that there are raging fires in the Amazon region, far more than in the past. Observers have noted that the Arctic, one of the coldest regions of planet Earth, and the Amazon, one of the wettest have been on fire this year, an ominous reality which is almost certainly a result of climate change. 

The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, nicknamed Captain Chainsaw and Trump of the Tropics has actually resisted international offers of assistance to fight the Amazon fires. He is a racist and an anti-environmentalist who may well be encouraging farmers and ranchers to set fires in order to clear land and force out indigenous peoples. He has farcically blamed environmentalists for starting the fires to draw attention to their work. When Bolsonaro was elected at the end of last year I wondered if those outside the country realized what a dangerous man he is and that his agenda threatened one of the most diverse and complex ecosystems on the planet. The evidence is now clear. 



It's good to see that a coalition of Christian groups is speaking out about the disaster which is unfolding. This is from Religion News Service:

On August 22, the Ecumenical Forum ACT Brazil, a council of Protestant denominations and the Catholic Church, released a statement saying the Bolsonaro administration’s policies “led to a surge in devastation of the environment” in the country.The next day, the National Conference of the Bishops of Brazil released a statement that did not mention the president by name but said, “This is not the time for insanities and absurdities in judgement or in speech.” The bishops demanded urgent action to save a “region that is crucial for the ecological balance of the planet.” This week, the Catholic bishops of the Amazon are gathering in the state of Pará to attend the last preparatory meeting for the upcoming Synod for the Pan-Amazon Region, which will be held in the Vatican in October.

While the Amazon fires are occurring a continent away, borders and ideologies should not be impediments to addressing what is unfolding both as a human rights and ecological issue. We can pray for the safety of those who are raising their voices within Brazil because of a government which will not stop at violence.