Brazilian President Bolsonaro, who has been criticized by environmental groups, and Leonardo DiCaprio, an American film star who is keen on environmental issues, have recently quarreled over the Amazon rainforest, and the focus of this dispute is the upcoming Brazilian presidential election in October this year.
According to CNN reported on May 4, Leonardo recently issued an article emphasizing the importance of protecting the Amazon rainforest and calling on Young Brazilians of the right age to actively participate in the country's presidential election vote. But this remark caused Bolsonaro to be dissatisfied, and in his speech he accused Leonardo of not understanding the importance of developing Brazilian agriculture and asked him to shut up.
According to Brazilian law, brazil's political elections are subject to a compulsory voting system, in which citizens of appropriate age must participate in voting, except for those aged 16 to 18, over 70 years of age and those without literacy who can voluntarily participate in the voting.
Screenshot of CNN report
In fact, this is not the first time the two have quarreled over the issue of the Amazon rainforest. In 2019, Bolsonaro accused environmental groups of setting fires in the rainforest and claimed that Leonardo had donated money to related organizations. But Leonardo denied the allegation and stressed support for efforts to protect the rainforest.
Brazil will hold presidential elections in October this year. Mainstream Media such as the Brasilia Post pointed out that unlike previous elections, the polls in this Brazilian election showed a rare "polarization" situation, with former Presidents Lula and Bolsonaro significantly ahead of other candidates. Analysts believe that how the two sides win over centrist voters and reduce the strength of opponents may become the key to determining the outcome of the election.
Around the Amazon rainforest, the Brazilian president and American movie stars are once again arguing
In a social media post on April 29, Leonardo called on young Brazilians of the right age to vote in the Brazilian elections held in October: "Brazil is home to the Amazon and other ecosystems vital to climate change, what happens there concerns us all, and youth participation in voting is key to driving change and building a healthy planet." ”
According to Brazilian law, brazil's political elections are subject to a compulsory voting system, in which citizens of appropriate age must participate in voting, except for those aged 16 to 18, over 70 years of age and those without literacy who can voluntarily participate in the voting.
Leonardo DiCaprio is a well-known American actor, including the movies "Titanic", "The Great Gatsby", "The Wolf of Wall Street" and many other masterpieces. Public information shows that he is also an environmentalist, and was appointed as the United Nations Climate Change Ambassador in 2014 by then-United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
CNN said his Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation is also committed to "supporting climate resilience around the world, protecting vulnerable wildlife, and restoring threatened ecosystems and community balance."
But the American movie star's remarks apparently drew the ire of Brazilian President Bolsonaro, who responded fiercely on social media on April 30: "Thank you for your support, Leo." It's important for every Brazilian to vote in the upcoming elections, and our people will decide whether they want to retain our sovereignty over the Amazon rainforest or let the crooks who serve 'special foreign interests' rule us. ”
Speaking to supporters in front of the presidential residence on May 3, Bolsonaro once again attacked DiCaprio's remarks: "DiCaprio needs to know that the president of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has said that without Brazil's agribusiness, the world would go hungry. So, DiCaprio had better keep his mouth shut and don't mess around. ”
Brazilian President Bolsonaro and American movie star Leonardo DiCaprio (infographic)
Previously, Bolsonaro and Leonardo had also clashed over the Amazon rainforest. In October 2019, without giving evidence, Bolsonaro accused environmental groups of setting fires in the Amazon rainforest and then taking photos to "win sympathy from the world." He also directly named Leonardo, saying that he donated $500,000 to the organization, "equivalent to paying for murder and arson."
Leonardo categorically denied the allegation and expressed support for efforts to protect the rainforest: "We are not funding the organizations [of Bolsonaro]. The future of these irreplaceable ecosystems is at stake, and I am proud to stand with organizations dedicated to protecting them. ”
Brazilian mainstream media "São Paulo Page" pointed out on the 4th that Leonardo's speech is not an isolated case, and many Hollywood American movie stars have made similar remarks recently, such as Mark Ruffalo, who played the "Hulk" in "The Avengers", and Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars", all on social media to call on 16 to 18-year-old Brazilian youth to actively participate in the election.
Rainforest damage is increasing day by day
The Amazon rainforest, the world's largest rainforest with a total area of 5.5 million square kilometers, is known as the "lungs of the earth", and can absorb and convert large amounts of greenhouse gases, which is crucial to curbing global climate change. The rainforest spans Brazil, Colombia, Peru and other South American countries, more than half of which is located in Brazil.
However, in the past decade, the area of the Amazon rainforest has continued to shrink due to natural and human factors such as indiscriminate logging and forest fires. After coming to power in 2019, Bolsonaro promised to develop the Amazon rainforest to boost economic development, which was seen by many environmentalists and Western media as the "culprit" in accelerating the destruction of the Amazon rainforest.
According to a report released last November by Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), from July 2020 to August 2021, the area of Brazilian Amazon rainforest destruction reached 13,235 square kilometers, an increase of nearly 22% year-on-year, reaching the highest level in the past 15 years.
In September 2021, the Amazon rainforest was hit by fire, and a large area of vegetation was destroyed
According to the institute's latest report released in April this year, 941.34 square kilometers of rainforest were deforested between January and March 2022, an increase of 64% over the same period last year. It is also the highest number recorded by the institute since it began monitoring rainforest deforestation rates in 2016.
Regarding the destruction of the rainforest, Bolsonaro has argued that it is "unfair" to attack the Brazilian government for destroying the shun forest, and that "90% of Brazil's forests are still under protection." But Márcio Astrini, executive secretary of the Brazilian environmental protection group Climate Observatory, criticized the Bolsonaro government for making it its own public policy to destroy the environment and that "the Amazon rainforest is being destroyed by this government." ”
Some experts also worry that the upcoming presidential election could further weaken the Brazilian government's regulation of deforestation. Carlos Souza Jr, a researcher at Imazon, Brazil's environmental research institute, told CNN that environmental enforcement in Brazil usually weakens during election years, with many criminals often cutting down deforestation before the new government comes to power.
The "polarized" Brazilian election
Brazil will hold a presidential election in October this year, and although Bolsonaro's support ratings continue to decline due to the impact of the recession, weak fight against the epidemic and the destruction of rainforests, he still shows some competitiveness in the polls.
According to a poll released on April 22 by IPESPE, a Brazilian social, political and economic research institute, former Brazilian President Lula voted 45 percent of voters, while Bolsonaro received 31 percent. Polls also show that if a general election were held now, 38 percent of respondents would vote for Lula and 28 percent would choose Bolsonaro.
The Brasilia Post pointed out that Lula and Bolsonaro have almost dominated the Brazilian election, making the election show a "polarized" momentum. Brazilian sociologist Arilton Freres said the situation was highly unusual, "voters will always vote for centrist candidates, but over time this has gradually disappeared." ”
Brazilian political analyst Antônio Augusto de Queiroz said this year's Brazilian election would be a direct competition between the current and the previous president, "in which case there is no room for other middle ways." When elections are held in such a polarizing fashion, reducing the number of opponents may be key to victory. ”
This article is an exclusive manuscript of the Observer Network and may not be reproduced without authorization.