Amazon fires at an all-time high in Brazil due to June spike; 'Covid laxity to blame'

Fires in Brazil’s Amazon forest have reached a 13-year high during the month of June. According to reports the fires in the rainforest rose by almost 20 per cent. Experts and conservationists believe that these forest fires could be worse than the disastrous fires that occurred in the year in 2019.

Government accused of inaction

As per reports, activists that fight for the preservation of the forests believe that this sudden rise in forest fires has been caused by the coronavirus pandemic because intentional forest fires which are started by loggers and farmers are being less monitored during the period of the pandemic and the many restrictions in for curbing the virus.

Currently, Brazil has reported 1,448,753 positive coronavirus cases, which is the second-highest number of cases in the world only beaten by the United States. Brazil has also reported a death toll of 61,884 people.

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As per reports, Mauricio Voivodic, executive director of the World Wildlife Fund NGO in Brazil, has said that the situation that occurred in 2019 must not be allowed to repeat itself; he has also accused Jair Bolsonaro’s far-right administration of not taking any action against the fires. Brazil’s President has been criticized in the past of slashing the Ministry of the Environment's funding and has also been accused of favouring businesses over conservation of the rainforest.

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The Brazilian President has always rejected the criticism and has claimed that foreign powers were behaving in a disrespectful manner. The Amazon rainforest spans across multiple counties but the majority of the forest resides in Brazil and Is believed to be a vital resource for the reduction of carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere.

(Image Credit Pixbay)(Representative Image)