Surprised to see that this topic has not been raised anywhere here - or have I missed something?
As far as I can see, the fires are a direct consequence of his overall policy towards the 'development' of the Amazonian jungle, and though he may not have given direct orders for such extensive jungle 'clearances', he has until recently shown little concern about the catastrophe that is developing. He is of course a climate change denier - what a surprise! (this ignorant ex-military thug is also a notorious misogynist and homophobe - how on earth could he have got elected?)
Naturally enough for a moron with no respect for science or the jungle inhabitants, he probably thinks that growing soya beans and oil-palms there is a sustainable proposition. Not that the businessmen who see the opportunity to get rich in the short term without caring a damn about future generations would be overly concerned about ecological matters, sustainable development and climate change.
It seems Bolsonaro may not have just caved in to international pressure (well done Macron for taking the lead). He may just have had a contingency plan, should the fires have got too far out of hand. For it seems that he had pre-recorded his message about sending in the military well before the world was alerted to the disaster. At the time of the broadcast, Bolsonaro appears to have been enjoying himself at a review show in the theatre. Anybody know any more about this?
