WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan recently spoke with the Spanish language outlet Super Luchas regarding the ongoing wildfires in the Amazon rainforest. As an avid environmentalist and strong supporter of ecological conservation, Bryan spoke out against Brazilian leaders for their lack of response in stopping the fires.
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“As someone who cares about the environment, this whole situation affects me,” Bryan said (translated via Google Translate). And it covers more than just the environmental issue, there is also the problem of all the people who live in the Amazon rainforest. They are hundreds of thousands of people, and what they want is to move them to the cities. But that’s not how things work. You know what I mean, they have been living there for longer than anyone can remember, and they want to move them to the cities and expect them to work in factories or something?
“It is a tragedy and I hope that it can soon be controlled and that everyone realizes that the Amazon is a central part of the ecosystem,” he added.
By Aug. 11 the Brazilian state of Amazonas had entered a stated of emergency as a result of the wildfires. Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) reported by Aug. 22 that more than 74,000 fires had been recorded throughout Brazil since the start of the year, an 84% increase from 2018.
The G7 countries (of which the United States is one) offered to aid the country by raising more than $20 million for aid in stopping the fires. However the Brazilian government rejected the donation.
“We appreciate [the offer] but maybe those resources are more relevant to reforest Europe, Onyx Lorenzoni, chief of staff to Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro said, according to The Guardian.
French president Emmanuel Macron, who spearheaded to initiative to raise money to assist with the fires, stated on Monday that the deforestation of the rainforest had an affect on the entire planet.
“The Amazon forest is a subject for the whole planet,” Macron said. “We can help you reforest. We can find the means for your economic development that respects the natural balance. But we cannot allow you to destroy everything.”
