Celebrities are sharing FAKE photos of huge Amazonian wildfires that actually show historical blazes or somewhere else entirely
- Celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Jaden Smith and Logan Paul have shared images of burning trees
- They claim the shocking images are from the current fire destroying parts of the Amazon rain forest
- The image shared by DiCaprio is from 2018 while the photograph shared by Smith and Paul is from 1989
- A widely shared photograph of a badly burned rabbit was actually taken in California in 2018
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Thousands of people have been sharing incorrect photographs of the fires in the Amazon rain forest on social media.
Nasa has released images from space showing the extent of the fires, but many on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have been sharing photographs or earlier Amazonian fires or blazes from elsewhere in the world.
Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio shared one image on his Instagram feed which achieved three million likes – however the photograph was taken in 2018 and is not from the current blaze.
Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has shared an image of a fire along with the hashtag #prayforamazonia. But unfortunately for the winger, the photograph was first published in 2013
Leonardo DiCaprio also called for action on the Amazon, sharing a dramatic image of scorched earth, but it was taken a year ago
Actor David Licauco also shared photographs of trees on fire, but none of them related to the current blaze
Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo shared an image which was first published in 2013.
One particular image which has been shared tens of thousands of times and has been liked by millions was taken in June 1989.
According to analysis by CNN, international celebrities such as Jaden Smith and Logan Paul have been responsible for sharing out-of-date images.
Actor David Licauco also shared images which are not from the current fire.
However, Brazil’s official monitoring agency is reporting a sharp increase in wildfires this year.
The country’s hardline president Jair Bolsonaro suggested Wednesday, without citing evidence, that non-governmental organisations could be setting them to make him look bad.
Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, a federal agency monitoring deforestation and wildfires, said the country has seen a record number of wildfires this year, counting 74,155 as of Tuesday, an 84 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. Bolsonaro took office on Jan. 1.
Bolsonaro said: ‘Maybe – I am not affirming it – these (NGO people) are carrying out some criminal actions to draw attention against me, against the government of Brazil.
Online celebrity Nathalie Munoz shared images of animals injured by the blaze, but the photograph of the rabbit was taken during last year’s California’s wild fires. They crying monkey photograph was taken in India in April 2016
‘There is a war going on in the world against Brazil, an information war.’
Some NGOs, environmentalists and academics have been blaming the administration’s pro-development policies for a sharp increase in Amazon deforestation shown in the latest data from the space research institute.
Amnesty International says Brazilian government failures are responsible for fires raging in the Amazon rainforest.
The comment by the rights group on Thursday came after Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro suggested some non-governmental groups could be setting the blazes in retaliation for losing state funds under his administration.
Bolsonaro did not provide any evidence for his allegation, which escalated international concern over the vast rainforest that is a major absorber of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Kumi Naidoo is secretary general of London-based Amnesty International. He says the group has documented illegal land invasions and arson attacks in the Amazon, including a region where many fires are raging.
The World Meteorological Organization said this week that satellite images show smoke from Amazon fires is reaching the Atlantic coast and Sao Paulo.