Gleisi Hoffmann, leader of Brazil's leading opposition force, the Workers' Party (PT), criticized in an interview with Sputnik Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for his policies on the Amazon rainforest, saying that they were comparatively more harmful in terms of deforestation than those followed by his predecessors
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th December, 2019) Gleisi Hoffmann, leader of Brazil's leading opposition force, the Workers' Party (PT), criticized in an interview with Sputnik Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for his policies on the Amazon rainforest, saying that they were comparatively more harmful in terms of deforestation than those followed by his predecessors.
Hoffmann previously served as the chief of staff under former President Dilma Rousseff and also worked for ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, both members of the PT party.
"There are no doubts that Bolsonaro's government ignores the issues regarding the protection of the environment and the Amazon. We, in our government, have developed a policy against the deforestation of the Amazon, which has proved effective. When Lula assumed office, 27,000 square kilometers [10,400 square miles] of deforestation was registered in the Amazon in 2004. By 2010, Lula has reduced this figure to 7,000 square kilometers, while Dilma left office with only 5,000 square kilometers of deforestation," Hoffmann, who also serves as the lower house lawmaker, said.
Bolsonaro's government has seemingly abandoned the deforestation policy of previous administrations, as evidenced by its calls for more land to be cleared for farming, the lawmaker said.
The Amazon gained international attention in the latter half of this year as the famed rainforest, which covers Brazil and neighboring countries, suffered record wildfires in terms of scale and destructiveness. Bolsonaro has been blamed for encouraging the fires since they free up the land for farming and mining.
Last week, in response to criticism from French President Emmanuel Macron on the matter, Brazilian Environment Minister Ricardo Salles urged developed nations to stop "pointing fingers" at Brazil over its response to the wildfires, claiming that these countries were themselves getting rich by destroying the environment.
