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Large forest fire has been in the Amazon rainforest for at least two weeks; Secretary-General says the world "cannot afford to do more damage to a major source of oxygen and biodiversity."

The UN secretary general said this Thursday that he is "deeply concerned about the fire in the Amazon rainforest."

In his Twitter account, António Guterres stated that "in the midst of a global climate crisis", the world "cannot afford to do more damage to a major source of oxygen and biodiversity."

Follow-up

According to news agencies, major fires have been going on in the forest for at least two weeks. Data from the Queimadas Program of the National Institute for Space Research, Inpe, show that the number of forest fires in Brazil grew 82% this year, compared to the same period last year.

Speaking to journalists at UN headquarters in New York, the secretary-general's spokesman said the UN "has no information on how these fires started" but that it "is obviously following the reports closely."

Stéphane Dujarric said the organization is "very concerned" about the fire, due to "the immediate damage it is causing and also because protecting forests is crucial in our fight against climate change."

According to the representative, "all forests are essential for the health of the entire world" and "the international community recognizes the importance of the forest, not only in the Amazon, but also in the forests of the Congo and Indonesia basins."

The spokesperson concluded by saying that "the well-being of all these massive forests is critical for humanity."

Pollution

On Twitter, the World Meteorological Organization, OMM, posted an image from NASA that shows how fire is seen from space.

According to the UN agency, tobacco has spread to several Brazilian states and various pollutants, such as particles and toxic gases, are being released into the atmosphere.