Wildfires, drought ravage Bolivia and Brazil

FRANCE 24 English

Visit our website: http://www.france24.com  Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English  Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/France24_en

Transcript

00:00Bolivian firefighters continue to battle some of the worst wildfires the country has ever

00:05seen. Large portions of the territory have been engulfed by flames for several weeks

00:10now, and even with help from abroad, the fires are out of control. Already more than 7.5

00:16million acres of land have burnt so far, putting Bolivia on track for a record year of fires.

00:22Protesters in La Paz blame the government.

00:26Please realise what is really happening in the country. We've lost millions of hectares,

00:31millions of animals have been burnt to death and it's not fair.

00:37Activists say that by encouraging the expansion of soy and beef exports, the government has

00:41fuelled the burning of rainforests to turn into farmland. Wildfires not only destroy

00:46the Amazon, they also cause dangerous levels of air pollution, many schools closing their

00:51doors to avoid people going outside.

00:54Brazil too is facing a difficult start to the fire season, and the country's space institution

00:59says smoke has already covered about 60% of the territory already. Partly caused by severe

01:05drought, President Lula da Silva says the Amazon is suffering its worst in more than

01:0940 years.

01:12We're certain these events are going to be more frequent over time, and therefore I will

01:17submit a provisional measure to the National Congress to create the legal framework for

01:22climate emergency.

01:26The Amazon and Madeira rivers have also registered new daily record lows, stranding dozens of

01:30communities only accessible by water. It's caused a shortage of drinking water, and even

01:36food is in short supply, with no significant rain expected until October.

Category

Transcript

Recommended