Leonardo DiCaprio responds to Brazil president’s false claim he funded Amazon fire
Leonardo DiCaprio said his organization is not funding nonprofit groups that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has falsely claimed helped start devastating wildfires in the Amazon.
Bolsonaro, who has previously made disputed claims that nonprofit groups are setting fires in the Amazon, told a group of supporters in the nation’s capital that the actor gave “money to set the Amazon on fire.”
“DiCaprio is a cool guy, isn’t he? Giving money to set the Amazon on fire,” Bolsonaro said in Brasilia on Friday, the Associated Press reported.
Thousands of wildfires burned across Brazil this summer, destroying large parts of the vital rainforest. Many of the fires are believed to have been intentionally set by farmers clearing land, a practice that has been deregulated by Bolsonaro’s relaxed environmental laws.
DiCaprio’s organization Earth Alliance has pledged $5 million to help protect the Amazon. The actor responded to Bolsonaro’s claim that he funded the targeted organizations on Instagram.
Via CBS News
