Bolsonaro at the crossroads of global pressure for the destruction of the Amazon

To refute criticism of his policy, he said the official data were false and that he would apply a new monitoring method.

RIO DE JANEIRO.- If public statistics contradict the government, we must stop broadcasting them. It seemed to be the order of the president
Jair Bolsonarowho refute international criticism of the worrying increase in the pace of
deforestation of the Amazon During his administration, he said yesterday that the official data were false and announced that a new monitoring system would be adopted soon, but he refused to estimate the true dimension of the
devastation of the environment.

"The figures, in my opinion, have been expanded with the aim, it seems, to bear the name of Brazil and the government.If they want to use the government, everything is fine, but we let's pay the price, "he warned. the president at a press conference at Plbadto Palace with his ministers of the environment, Ricardo Salles; External Relations, Ernesto Araújo, and the Institutional Security Cabinet, Augusto Heleno.

Strong of a long PowerPoint presentation, Salles sought to discredit the latest data provided last month by the National Institute of Space Research (INPE for its acronym in Portuguese), according to which, in June, deforestation in Amazon had increased 88% relationship with the same month last year. Salles pointed out that the monthly monitoring system used by the INPE, called Deter (Detection of Real-Time Deforestation), accounts for tree cuts made in previous periods, which takes into account the cases parcels registered more than once, and which are not. It takes into account areas where vegetation has been replanted.

"We are not here to deny the numbers or to justify illegal acts." We show that it takes a lot of responsibility in disseminating information, Salles said.

Since Bolsonaro – a skeptic about climate change because of human activities – has badumed power, his lax environmental policy has been criticized by environmental organizations as well as by several countries concerned about the rapid deterioration of the Amazon rainforest and by the desire of the people. new president to boost mining and forestry activities in the vast region to encourage the Brazilian economy. In addition, the issue was one of the main questions of the European Union (EU) authorities before agreeing to sign a free trade agreement with Mercosur.

Last month, when the director of INPE, Ricardo Galvão, released the latest statistics, which have always been public and accessible to everyone via the agency's website, Bolsonaro accused him of to be "at the service of an NGO". . The national and foreign press echoed the surprising data. yesterday the British magazine
L & # 39; economist He addressed the subject with an article titled "Death Watch for the Amazon".

"We will deepen our investigation to see if this information was disseminated in bad faith, to harm the current government and undermine the image of Brazil," said the president yesterday. Despite its interest in showing errors in data collection, Salles has not been able to report the actual size of deforestation. "Our concern is not to work to create a number, the number, in the way it has been presented, and the badysis that has been done are not correct," he said with a simple promise. to install a new system with satellite images of high daily resolution "as soon as possible".

The INPE already has three systems: the monthly Deter, the satellite Prodes (monitoring program of the Brazilian Amazonian rain forest by satellite), which makes annual comparisons, and the TerraClbad, which maps land use every two years . It was deforested.

However, for the new Brazilian government, there are international "pressures and interests" that prevent Brazil from developing its agri-food industry, and a country tracking campaign is underway.

"This is very serious because it affects the Brazilian trade, like Brazil, positions us as the great destroyer of the environment, of humanity.These are images that are very difficult to reverse This is what plagues us with intellectual honesty, "said Minister Heleno.