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| 'Chaos, chaos, chaos': a journey through Bolsonaro's Amazon inferno | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| From afar it resembles a tornado: an immense grey column shooting thousands of feet upwards from the forest canopy into the Amazonian skies. | From afar it resembles a tornado: an immense grey column shooting thousands of feet upwards from the forest canopy into the Amazonian skies. |
| Up close it is an inferno: a raging conflagration obliterating yet another stretch of the world’s greatest rainforest as a herd of Nelore cattle looks on in bewilderment. | Up close it is an inferno: a raging conflagration obliterating yet another stretch of the world’s greatest rainforest as a herd of Nelore cattle looks on in bewilderment. |
| “It started this morning,” said Valdir Urumon, the chief of an indigenous village in this isolated corner of Rondônia state, as the vast pillar of smoke loomed over his settlement’s palm-thatched homes. | “It started this morning,” said Valdir Urumon, the chief of an indigenous village in this isolated corner of Rondônia state, as the vast pillar of smoke loomed over his settlement’s palm-thatched homes. |
| By late afternoon, when the Guardian arrived on the scene, the fire had intensified into a catastrophic blaze, streaking north through a strip of jungle perhaps two miles long. | By late afternoon, when the Guardian arrived on the scene, the fire had intensified into a catastrophic blaze, streaking north through a strip of jungle perhaps two miles long. |
| Huge plumes of black, leaden and rust-coloured smoke drifted skywards as if this sweep of woodland near Brazil’s north-western border with Bolivia had been subjected to a ferocious bombing campaign. | Huge plumes of black, leaden and rust-coloured smoke drifted skywards as if this sweep of woodland near Brazil’s north-western border with Bolivia had been subjected to a ferocious bombing campaign. |
| At the farmhouse nearest to the blaze the lights were on but not a soul was to be seen – much less anyone who might extinguish the giant pyre. | At the farmhouse nearest to the blaze the lights were on but not a soul was to be seen – much less anyone who might extinguish the giant pyre. |
| But two empty petrol barrels and a cluster of plastic jerrycans dumped at its entrance hinted at a possible culprit – a cattle rancher torching yet another swath of the Brazilian jungle in order to expand his Amazon domain. | But two empty petrol barrels and a cluster of plastic jerrycans dumped at its entrance hinted at a possible culprit – a cattle rancher torching yet another swath of the Brazilian jungle in order to expand his Amazon domain. |
| Three weeks after Brazil’s unusually severe burning season sparked an international storm, the far-right government of President Jair Bolsonaro has launched a global PR campaign designed to convince the world the situation is under control. | Three weeks after Brazil’s unusually severe burning season sparked an international storm, the far-right government of President Jair Bolsonaro has launched a global PR campaign designed to convince the world the situation is under control. |
| “The Amazon is not burning, not burning at all,” Brazil’s foreign minister, Ernesto Araújo, insisted in an interview with CNN. | “The Amazon is not burning, not burning at all,” Brazil’s foreign minister, Ernesto Araújo, insisted in an interview with CNN. |
| Rondônia’s governor, a Bolsonaro ally called Marcos Rocha, took an identicial line, dismissing the “fuss” over the fires as a foreign ruse to shackle Brazil’s economy. | Rondônia’s governor, a Bolsonaro ally called Marcos Rocha, took an identicial line, dismissing the “fuss” over the fires as a foreign ruse to shackle Brazil’s economy. |
| “If we look at the situation in other countries, their forests are burning much more than here in our Brazil,” the retired police colonel claimed. | “If we look at the situation in other countries, their forests are burning much more than here in our Brazil,” the retired police colonel claimed. |
| “You go to London, or other countries, and what do you see?” Rocha mused. | “You go to London, or other countries, and what do you see?” Rocha mused. |
| “It’s not fog – it’s smoke! Smoke from burning; from industry. So how can they demand of us what they haven’t done themselves?” | “It’s not fog – it’s smoke! Smoke from burning; from industry. So how can they demand of us what they haven’t done themselves?” |
| João Chrisóstomo, a Bolsonarian congressman in Rondônia’s capital, Porto Velho, rejected claims that under his leader Brazil was entering a new era of Amazon devastation and insisted – contrary to a growing body of evidence – that conservation was a top priority in Bolsonaro’s Brazil. | João Chrisóstomo, a Bolsonarian congressman in Rondônia’s capital, Porto Velho, rejected claims that under his leader Brazil was entering a new era of Amazon devastation and insisted – contrary to a growing body of evidence – that conservation was a top priority in Bolsonaro’s Brazil. |
| Statistics produced by Brazil’s own space institute – whose director was sacked last month after clashing with Bolsonaro – show deforestation has surged in recent months with a Manhattan-sized area lost every day in July. | Statistics produced by Brazil’s own space institute – whose director was sacked last month after clashing with Bolsonaro – show deforestation has surged in recent months with a Manhattan-sized area lost every day in July. |
| But Chrisóstomo maintained Bolsonaro was “making every effort to stop unbridled deforestation” and chastised meddling European leaders such as France’s President Emmanuel Macron who have questioned Bolsonaro’s vision for the Amazon. | But Chrisóstomo maintained Bolsonaro was “making every effort to stop unbridled deforestation” and chastised meddling European leaders such as France’s President Emmanuel Macron who have questioned Bolsonaro’s vision for the Amazon. |
| “He’s not Brazil’s president. He’s not even from the Americas,” the politician seethed. | “He’s not Brazil’s president. He’s not even from the Americas,” the politician seethed. |
| “This forest isn’t shared, as he claims. It belongs to a nation which enjoys complete autonomy and authority to decide what happens to the forest and takes every possible care to preserve it.” | “This forest isn’t shared, as he claims. It belongs to a nation which enjoys complete autonomy and authority to decide what happens to the forest and takes every possible care to preserve it.” |
| That last claim rang hollow this week as the Guardian travelled almost 2,000km by road and river through two of the Amazon states most affected by this year’s fires, Rondônia and Amazonas. | That last claim rang hollow this week as the Guardian travelled almost 2,000km by road and river through two of the Amazon states most affected by this year’s fires, Rondônia and Amazonas. |
| Along the way, an almost identical refrain emerged from the mouths of indigenous leaders, wildcat goldminers, environmental activists and government officials alike: that Jair Bolsonaro’s stripping back of environmental protections and anti-environmental rhetoric had contributed to the scale of this year’s fires – more than 30,000 of which were recorded in August alone – and set in motion a new age of wrecking that looks set to continue well beyond the end of the annual burning season next month. | Along the way, an almost identical refrain emerged from the mouths of indigenous leaders, wildcat goldminers, environmental activists and government officials alike: that Jair Bolsonaro’s stripping back of environmental protections and anti-environmental rhetoric had contributed to the scale of this year’s fires – more than 30,000 of which were recorded in August alone – and set in motion a new age of wrecking that looks set to continue well beyond the end of the annual burning season next month. |
| “It is chaos. Chaos, chaos, chaos,” lamented one senior official from Brazil’s environmental agency, Ibama, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. | “It is chaos. Chaos, chaos, chaos,” lamented one senior official from Brazil’s environmental agency, Ibama, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. |
| “If we go on like this, things will get worse and worse,” predicted the official, diplomatically blaming the spike in Amazon deforestation during Bolsonaro’s first eight months in power on the “political situation” in Brazil. | “If we go on like this, things will get worse and worse,” predicted the official, diplomatically blaming the spike in Amazon deforestation during Bolsonaro’s first eight months in power on the “political situation” in Brazil. |
| Life has never been easy for the activists and government agents seeking to slow rainforest destruction in a vast and often lawless region many still call Brazil’s “faroeste” (wild west). | Life has never been easy for the activists and government agents seeking to slow rainforest destruction in a vast and often lawless region many still call Brazil’s “faroeste” (wild west). |
| In the riverside town of Humaitá in Amazonas state, Ibama’s former headquarters lies in ruins two years after it was stormed, ransacked and burned to the ground by illegal goldminers in retribution for a crackdown. | In the riverside town of Humaitá in Amazonas state, Ibama’s former headquarters lies in ruins two years after it was stormed, ransacked and burned to the ground by illegal goldminers in retribution for a crackdown. |
| Now, as the dismantling of Brazil’s environmental protection system gathers pace, its operations there are to halt altogether. | Now, as the dismantling of Brazil’s environmental protection system gathers pace, its operations there are to halt altogether. |
| Three regional Ibama offices – in the towns of Humaitá, Parintins and Tabatinga – are in the process of being deactivated, leaving only one central command post – in the capital, Manaus – to tackle environmental crime in a state three times the size of Spain. | Three regional Ibama offices – in the towns of Humaitá, Parintins and Tabatinga – are in the process of being deactivated, leaving only one central command post – in the capital, Manaus – to tackle environmental crime in a state three times the size of Spain. |
| In a recent letter to Ibama’s new president, several hundred officials voiced “immense concern” over the direction environmental protection was taking. | In a recent letter to Ibama’s new president, several hundred officials voiced “immense concern” over the direction environmental protection was taking. |
| Márcio Tenharim, an indigenous leader from a reserve near Humaitá, said he feared the influx of soy farmers, ranchers and mining companies would accelerate as Brazil’s president pushed for such activities to be allowed on previously protected areas. | Márcio Tenharim, an indigenous leader from a reserve near Humaitá, said he feared the influx of soy farmers, ranchers and mining companies would accelerate as Brazil’s president pushed for such activities to be allowed on previously protected areas. |
| “We aren’t ready for this,” said Tenharim, predicting such “development” would bring “nothing but misery” for his people. | “We aren’t ready for this,” said Tenharim, predicting such “development” would bring “nothing but misery” for his people. |
| Bolsonaro denies that will be the case – and many in the region see his Amazon blueprint as a boon. | Bolsonaro denies that will be the case – and many in the region see his Amazon blueprint as a boon. |
| Bolsonaro backers wage war on the rainforest | Bolsonaro backers wage war on the rainforest |
| “He’s our hope for improvement,” said Martins Tavares, 33, a goldminer who said he and virtually all of his colleagues backed Bolsonaro, believing his promises to open up the Amazon would help them feed their families. | “He’s our hope for improvement,” said Martins Tavares, 33, a goldminer who said he and virtually all of his colleagues backed Bolsonaro, believing his promises to open up the Amazon would help them feed their families. |
| Rui Souza, the owner of waterside petrol station in Humaitá that sells to goldseekers, said he was also optimistic the president would do away with environmental and indigenous reserves so they could be commercially exploited. | Rui Souza, the owner of waterside petrol station in Humaitá that sells to goldseekers, said he was also optimistic the president would do away with environmental and indigenous reserves so they could be commercially exploited. |
| “Our Amazonia is so rich, my friend. But we’re not allowed to use any of it,” the 65-year-old complained. | “Our Amazonia is so rich, my friend. But we’re not allowed to use any of it,” the 65-year-old complained. |
| In Rondônia – where 72% of voters backed the far-right candidate in last year’s election – support is even more widespread. Bolsonarian billboards dot the highways declaring: “Together we will change the destiny of Rondônia and Brazil!” | In Rondônia – where 72% of voters backed the far-right candidate in last year’s election – support is even more widespread. Bolsonarian billboards dot the highways declaring: “Together we will change the destiny of Rondônia and Brazil!” |
| “Nearly everyone here voted for him,” said Vicente Costa, a 69-year-old restaurant owner in the town of Araras whose silver SUV was plastered with Bolsonaro stickers reading: “Change Brazil for real.” | “Nearly everyone here voted for him,” said Vicente Costa, a 69-year-old restaurant owner in the town of Araras whose silver SUV was plastered with Bolsonaro stickers reading: “Change Brazil for real.” |
| That delight contrasts with the growing despair of many forest dwellers whose lives were upended in the 1960s when Brazil’s military dictatorship bulldozed roads through the Amazon. | That delight contrasts with the growing despair of many forest dwellers whose lives were upended in the 1960s when Brazil’s military dictatorship bulldozed roads through the Amazon. |
| “During his campaign Bolsonaro promised to divide up indigenous lands. That’s why the ranchers voted for him. But we don’t want to share our land,” said Valdillene Urumon, 28, as the fire continued to rage near her village. | “During his campaign Bolsonaro promised to divide up indigenous lands. That’s why the ranchers voted for him. But we don’t want to share our land,” said Valdillene Urumon, 28, as the fire continued to rage near her village. |
| “We felt sad [when Bolsonaro won],” Urumon added. “But now we have to fight, don’t we?” | “We felt sad [when Bolsonaro won],” Urumon added. “But now we have to fight, don’t we?” |
| Chrisóstomo insisted fears for the future of Brazil’s forests were “totally misplaced”. | Chrisóstomo insisted fears for the future of Brazil’s forests were “totally misplaced”. |
| But on the rural outskirts of Humaitá another blaze had broken out and as night fell two local firefighters battled in vain to contain it. | But on the rural outskirts of Humaitá another blaze had broken out and as night fell two local firefighters battled in vain to contain it. |
| “The environment is so crucial to us, isn’t it?,” one soot-faced firefighter said as he paused from smothering the flames with a rubber damper. “It saddens us to see it being destroyed like this.” | “The environment is so crucial to us, isn’t it?,” one soot-faced firefighter said as he paused from smothering the flames with a rubber damper. “It saddens us to see it being destroyed like this.” |
| It was, as usual, impossible to know who had started the fire, or why. But the men struggling to douse it suspected criminal intent, warning the Guardian to leave in case the firestarter still lurked in the shadows. | It was, as usual, impossible to know who had started the fire, or why. But the men struggling to douse it suspected criminal intent, warning the Guardian to leave in case the firestarter still lurked in the shadows. |
| Brazil: fears for isolated Amazon tribes as fires erupt on protected reserves | Brazil: fears for isolated Amazon tribes as fires erupt on protected reserves |
| As the flames ripped across a prairie his hose was not long enough to reach, the sergeant looked on in exhaustion and dismay. | As the flames ripped across a prairie his hose was not long enough to reach, the sergeant looked on in exhaustion and dismay. |
| “Every year we do campaigns [against fire-starting] but it’s as if the more campaigns you do the worse it gets,” he said. | “Every year we do campaigns [against fire-starting] but it’s as if the more campaigns you do the worse it gets,” he said. |
| “It leaves us with little faith humans will ever understand they need to protect the environment.” | “It leaves us with little faith humans will ever understand they need to protect the environment.” |
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