Jarrow MP Stephen Hepburn urges the government to take more action on Amazon Rainforest crisis

Jarrow MP Stephen Hepburn has called on the government to help protect the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil.
Jarrow MP Stephen Hepburn.Jarrow MP Stephen Hepburn.
Jarrow MP Stephen Hepburn.

Mr Hepburn urged the government to liaise with the Brazilian government over its failure to tackle the country’s broader issue of forest fires.

More than 80,000 wildfires have broken out in the country this year, an increase of more than 84 per cent on last year.

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During Foreign and Commonwealth Office Questions in the House of Commons, Stephen Hepburn MP said: “This is a global crisis that demands a deep and coordinated global response”

“The Amazon rainforest is the largest in the world and is a vital carbon store that slows down the pace of global warming.”

The rainforest has seen an unprecedented number of fires this year which intensified in August, damaging the Amazon ecosystem and turning the sky over São Paulo dark with smoke.

The local MP took Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to task by asking what actions the government were taking to support indigenous people living around the rainforest and to protect the Earth's environment.

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Dominic Raab, Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, replied:

“We recognise the concerns about the rainforest. I have spoken to the Brazilian Foreign Minister, and the vice-president will be here soon.”

“We will look into supporting Brazil by taking measures to ensure that the rainforests, which rightly attract international interest, are protected in a way that works for the world.”