Brazil: Bolsonaro Rejects Biden's Comments on Amazon Rainforest

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro Wednesday slyly criticized statements made by U.S. President-elect Joe Biden who warned of economic sanctions on Brazil, if authorities failed to control wildfires in the Amazon region.

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"We recently witnessed a candidate for the head of State say that if I dont put out the fire in the Amazon, he will raise trade barrier against Brazil," President Bolsonaro said.

The alleged remarks were stressed during a presidential debate where democrat candidate Biden promised to allocate US$20,000 million to the countries of the Amazon in exchange for their commitment to preserving the forest.

Biden suggested that there could be economic consequences if Brazil did not stop deforestation.

"When the dialogue runs out, there has to be gunpowder. You don't need to use it, but they have to know that we have it," President Bolsonaro added in reference to the country's sovereignty rights in the Amazon region.

According to data released by the National Institute of Space Research (INPE), wildfires in the Brazilian Amazon area increased 120 percent in October compared to the same period in 2019.

The world's largest wetland The Pantanal region, which sprawls across Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay, has been the most affected with a record growth of 110 percent in the number of fires so far this year.

President Jair Bolsonaro has argued that the fires recorded in the Amazon are "lies", while environmental organizations have attributed the increase in deforestation to their policies, seeking the expansion of agro-industry and mining in the region.