Brazil faces a backlash as the Amazon burns

With dozens of fires in the world’s largest rain forest, the government of President Jair Bolsonaro was struggling on Thursday to contain growing global outrage over its environmental policies, which have paved the way for runaway deforestation.

The Bolsonaro administration favors industries that want greater access to protected lands, and many of the fires were set by farmers and loggers. Brazil’s strict environmental laws are often violated with impunity.

President Emmanuel Macron of France called the fires “an international crisis” and said they should be discussed at the Group of 7 summit he’s hosting this weekend. Mr. Bolsonaro called that suggestion “colonialist.”

The details: Forest fires are common in Brazil in this season, but there have been more than usual this year. Watch our video showing the scope of the destruction.