Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro tells alarmed world leaders not to meddle in the Amazon inferno

France&#039;s Emmanuel Macron and Brazil&#039;s Jair Bolsonaro

(Image credit: Jacques Witt/AFP/Getty Images)

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro admitted Thursday that farmers could be illegally setting fires consuming the Amazon but warned world leaders to stop "interfering with our sovereignty." French President Emmanuel Macron, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, and the Bishops Conference for Latin America were among those who expressed concerns about the record fires sweeping the rain forest, which produces about 20 percent of the world's oxygen. "We urge the governments of the Amazon countries, especially Brazil and Bolivia, the United Nations and the international community to take serious measures to save the world's lungs," the Catholic bishops said.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.