An Amazon wildfire has exposed a group of reckless rumor-mongers and 'fact-checkers'.

We could even argue that this so-called 'fact-checking' article—whose real purpose is to spread rumors—is more harmful than the first viral rumor piece. While the first rumor article fabricated facts to stir public concern for environmental protection, this 'fact-checking' piece not only continues to spread falsehoods but also slaps down scientists who genuinely care about humanity’s future. In addition, another 'fact-checking' article—published yesterday and clearly modeled on the first—has gone viral. It repeats the core claims of the earlier piece and bluntly asserts: 'The reason governments and media aren’t paying attention is that wildfires in the Amazon rainforest are utterly commonplace.' It further claims the Amazon fires have already ended, citing the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE). I’d like to ask the author whether they’ve actually read INPE’s official updates: the fires have not ceased—in fact, they’re spreading further, prompting Brazil’s president to deploy military forces for relief. Not only does this piece spread falsehoods—it ends with the author scolding 'clickbait accounts' while simultaneously erecting a moral pedestal for themselves: A classic case of 'the thief crying 'thief!' II. Are Amazon wildfires truly unremarkable? These so-called 'fact-checking' articles all claim: 'Wildfires in the Amazon are routine—nothing unusual, nothing worth worrying about.' It’s true that fires do occur frequently in the Amazon rainforest—but no one asks: 'Why do such frequent fires happen here? Are they all natural phenomena?' In reality, this very 'unremarkable routine' is precisely the most urgent issue demanding attention. Dr. Setzer, a scientist at INPE, points out that 99% of fires in the Amazon rainforest result from human activity—either intentional or accidental. Most of the Amazon lies within Brazil, and wildfires there are primarily ignited by local ranchers and loggers, who set fire to clear forested land for pasture or timber operations—often triggering massive, uncontrollable blazes. This year’s unprecedented conflagrations stem directly from policies championed by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro—dubbed the 'Tropical Trump'—who actively encourages development and exploitation of the Amazon. Before Bolsonaro took office, wildfires caused by human activity occurred annually in the rainforest, yet the situation had been gradually improving. According to data from the Amazonian NGO Institute of Man and Environment of the Amazon (Imazon), legal deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon between August 2016 and July 2017 totaled 2,834 square kilometers—a 21% decline year-on-year. But since Bolsonaro assumed office in January this year, he has aggressively pushed forward large-scale rainforest development plans. Though outsiders widely condemn these measures, they enjoy strong domestic support—and indeed, Bolsonaro won broad popular backing during his campaign precisely by pledging such policies. Bolsonaro contends that excessive protected environmental zones hinder Brazil’s economic development. He is now considering building a highway straight through the Amazon rainforest and intends to ban environmental NGOs—including Greenpeace and the World Wide Fund for Nature—from operating in Brazil. Bolsonaro has even declared outright: 'We cannot meet unattainable goals set forth in the Paris Climate Agreement. On environmental matters, Brazil owes the world nothing.' Why do such seemingly outrageous policies command widespread local support? Look at Brazil’s economic conditions—and the answer becomes clear.

Translation | Narcissistic Authoritarian Nationalism, Part II: Slow Violence and Fast Violence

Nixon’s focus centered primarily on environmental disasters, yet his framework opens up a valuable pathway for identifying other forms of slow violence that remain unrecognized. Consider, for instance, the propaganda strategies employed by companies like Facebook—strategies that gradually infiltrate users’ minds through targeted advertising, manipulating and steering them toward socially hostile attitudes against minority groups. Or consider healthcare privatization across many countries—a system now oriented around cost-efficiency and competition, which restricts access to medical services for economically disadvantaged populations and may even lead to death. Though such forms of slow violence may lack the sensationalism or immediacy of street warfare, they are equally destructive—and their impacts are often far more enduring, even fostering societies where various forms of violence proliferate unchecked. Both fast and slow violence are occurring simultaneously, yet government officials remain indifferent, claiming that they—or the multinational corporations they support—possess legitimate authority to inflict such violence. These traits characterize earlier authoritarian models; however, a new feature of narcissistic authoritarian nationalism lies in its use of technology and social media to fabricate new truths and realities—thereby rendering violence difficult to attribute to any specific perpetrator. Coupled with an insatiable drive to generate capital at any cost, this dynamic gives rise to a novel, toxic mode of governance infused with classic narcissistic traits: personal contempt for others, profound lack of empathy, arrogance, and a warped sense of superiority. Body and Land vs. Religion and Capital Since 2018, over forty Indigenous leaders have been murdered in the Amazon region. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro denies the existence of a climate crisis (claiming the Amazon is purely 'Brazil’s internal affair') and appointed evangelical missionary Damares Alves as Minister of Indigenous Peoples—a move that has paved the way for mining corporations to accelerate the destruction of the Amazon and its isolated Indigenous tribes. Just as religion once served to justify colonial atrocities, today it functions to legitimize the violence of narcissistic authoritarian nationalism. Figures like Bolsonaro interpret religion as a yardstick of civilization and salvation—using it to rationalize infections and killings brought about by multimillion-dollar mining and meat-processing corporations. Contemporary missionaries can perpetrate fast violence through murder—or enact slow violence by preaching God’s word to uncontacted tribes and inadvertently transmitting Western diseases. Narcissistic authoritarian nationalism constructs national identity around notions of progress and development; ironically, however, these very ideals run diametrically counter to any measures required to address the climate crisis—they ignore Indigenous communities and instead spawn a new generation of climate refugees. Today’s states and multinational corporations repackage their actions in narcissistic terms, claiming they wish to 'elevate' Indigenous communities 'out of cave-dweller status'—Bolsonaro’s exact words. This may be an old tactic, but it now operates alongside another: systematically undermining scientific credibility, dismissing scientific facts as lies, and leveraging new technological infrastructure to disseminate such falsehoods—a practice Bolsonaro and numerous other world leaders openly embrace. Language is a key tool in the narcissistic construction of the corporate state. Across Africa, firms such as Lion’s Head Global Partners—with the assistance of government officials—claim they 'support local currencies and promote economic development,' while euphemistically labeling the predatory seizure of cheap land for exploitation as 'asset management.'

Flávio Bolsonaro Proposes Radical Shift for Amazon and Climate

1 day ago

Brazil's presidential runoff highlights divergent strategies on Amazon deforestation and fossil fuel expansion. While both support renewables, Bolsonaro favors oil and gas growth, whereas Lula targets net-zero emissions by 2035.

bloomberg

2026-10-09

Flávio Bolsonaro Proposes Radical Shift for Amazon and Climate

Flávio Bolsonaro Proposes Radical Shift for Amazon and Climate

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