Bolsonaro responds to Biden's plans on Amazon

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday attacked U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden for saying the South American nation should suffer "significant economic consequences" if devastation of the Amazon rainforest continues.

Biden said during Tuesday's debate with President Donald Trump, an ally of Bolsonaro, that foreign countries should give Brazil $20 billion (US dollars) to stop Amazon deforestation, and that the country should face repercussions if it fails.

The Brazilian leader has insisted on economic development of the region, drawing condemnation from environmentalists, climate scientists and foreign leaders who say the forest is an important carbon sink and must remain standing to achieve climate change goals.

Bolsonaro has repeatedly accused unnamed imperialist forces of trying to take over the Amazon, which harkens back to the stance of the 1964-1985 military dictatorship.

On his Twitter account, Bolsonaro also labeled Biden's comments as "regrettable," as well as "disastrous and gratuitous." While Bolsonaro's original tweets correctly named the Democratic candidate, the English translation provided by his office referred to "Mr. John Biden."

During Tuesday's debate, the Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden said Brazil's rainforests are being torn down.

Preliminary official data published on Aug. 7 indicated that deforestation in Brazil's Amazon region over the past 12 months could be at a 14-year high.

This story has not been edited by www.republicworld.com and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.