"There comes a time when the broth spills. And the broth has spilled at our time," said Vice President Hamilton Mourão when he denied the Bolsonaro government's responsibility for increasing deforestation and burning in the Amazon.
"The problems have not happened since January 1," justified the President of the Council of the Amazon, at a press conference held this Thursday (5) in Manaus, on the second day of a federal delegation's trip to Amazonas.
The Brazilian government planned the three-day trip to change the country's negative image vis-à-vis foreign governments, which demand greater protection of the forest and control of deforestation and fires, which broke records in 2020.
The delegation arrived in Amazonas last Wednesday (4), bringing, in addition to the vice president, who is also President of the Amazon Council, the ministers of the Environment, Ricardo Salles, of the Institutional Security Office, Augusto Heleno, and of Defense, Fernando Azevedo.
The lack of control of fires and the advance of deforestation in the Amazon led eight countries to send a letter to the Bolsonaro government in September, threatening to cut imports of Brazilian products if Brazil did not adopt effective measures to combat the devastation of the forest.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon