Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been denounced to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity as responsible for the accelerated deforestation of the Amazon, causing an increase in CO2 emissions worldwide. The accusations were formalized by the Austrian activist group for environmental justice, Allrise. The court based in The Hague is asked to open legal proceedings against Bolsanaro and his administration for “actions directly related to the negative impacts of climate change around the world“.
The far-right president is blamed for a campaign of widespread violence against environmental defenders, as well as endangering the global population with emissions caused by deforestation. According to the data contained in the nearly 300-page dossier presented by Allrise, the destruction of the Amazon generates greater greenhouse gas emissions than those produced by Italy and Spain combined. Deforestation of the Brazilian tropical forest releases more CO2 than it can now absorb. Since taking office as president in January 2019, deforestation in the Amazon has increased by 88% and Bolsonaro is held responsible for the annual disappearance of around 4,000 km2 of trees. According to estimates by a team of experts, emissions attributable to its administration cause an additional 180,000 deaths by 2100 worldwide. It is not the first time that Bolsonaro has been denounced to the ICC: the latest request to open an investigation into crimes against humanity against him was presented last August by the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil.