Protest Over Amazon Fires Held Outside Brazilian Embassy in Buenos Aires
Demonstrators rallied outside the Brazilian embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on August 23, to protest against the Brazilian government’s prioritization of economic interests over the environment, as seen in social media video from the event.
Thousands of fires were burning in the Amazon rainforest as of August 23, allegedly due to farmers and businesses clearing land for beef cattle, CNN reported.
Ecologists quoted by National Geographic have linked the record-breaking number of fires to an increase in deforestation.
Earlier in August, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research said that more forest had been lost in the summer of 2019 than in the previous three years combined.
It is estimated that the Amazon rainforest produces 20 percent of the planet’s oxygen.
Demonstrations took place outside Brazilian embassies and consulates around the world on August 23, including in Copenhagen, Munich, London, Toronto, and Barcelona, in protest of the Brazilian government’s inaction to stop the fires.
These videos show a crowd gathered outside the Brazilian embassy in Buenos Aires, holding signs with slogans such as, “It’s not the climate, it’s the capitalist system.” People also played indigenous instruments such as the pan flute. Credit: @vegmarius via Storyful
