Climate change.
It's once again the top issue
for many people in America,
partly because of the
devastation of Hurricane Dorian,
which is such a crazy storm
that it somehow hit the Bahamas,
the Carolinas and then,
thanks to President Trump's
Sharpie pen,
also Alabama.
Yeah. Trump basically thinks
his Sharpie can bend reality
to be whatever
he wants it to be,
which I guess is why all his
family photos look like this.
But the conversation
about climate change
is happening all over the world
more than ever, right now.
And the focus
is on another major disaster
unfolding in Brazil.
Brazil's Amazon rainforest,
the world's largest,
is burning at a record rate.
There have been more
than 74,000 fires this year,
up 84% from last year.
WOMAN: For weeks now,
 the Amazon rainforest,
 one of earth's
 most valuable resources,
 has been ravaged by fires.
MAN: The collection of tens
 of thousands of blazes
 engulfing an area
 two-thirds the size
 of the continental
 United States.
 The fire is burning
 from the equivalent
 of Detroit to Los Angeles.
MAN 2: Brazil has deployed
 44,000 troops, but
 most fires go unfought here.
WOMAN 2:
 On the front lines at one fire
 twice the size of New Jersey,
 only 30 men are fighting
 the flames with no hoses,
 sometimes
 just kicking the fire.
Just kicking the fire?
They're dealing
with a forest fire
the same way I deal with an
ice cube that fell on the floor?
Just like, "Aah! Go away!
Go under the fridge! Aah!"
(laughter)
I mean, I guess
it sort of makes sense
because Brazil is
the soccer capital of the world,
so they probably try
to solve everything
through kicking, you know?
I bet instead of CPR,
they just kick the person
in the chest
until he breathes again.
Just like,
"Granddad, stay with me!
Come on, Granddad! Come on!"
So this is a big problem
for Brazil,
but their real problem,
the real problem is
that it's the world's issue,
right, because the Amazon
isn't just some random forest
nobody cares about,
like Forest Whitaker.
No, the rainforest is critical
to keeping carbon dioxide
out of the atmosphere.
It mitigates climate change,
and it's the world's
most diverse ecosystem,
which is why,
all around the world,
people are demanding
something be done.
-MAN: The political heat... 
-(people chanting)
 getting hotter at home
 and around the world.
 Protests in Canada,
 France, Germany, England.
I'm just really scared
that when I'm older,
the world
I'm living in isn't gonna be
as nice as it is now.
MAN 2: The outcry
 on social media has been huge,
 with the hashtag
 #prayfortheamazon trending.
 Oscar winner
 and environmental activist
 Leonardo DiCaprio speaking out
 in a series
 of posts on Instagram.
 "The lungs of the earth
 are in flames."
Yes, from young people
in Europe
all the way to Hollywood stars
like Leonardo DiCaprio,
everyone has come together to
raise awareness for the Amazon.
And can I just say
how impressed I am
that Leonardo DiCaprio is
so dedicated
to fighting climate change?
I mean, the guy raised, like,
five million dollars for this.
He's out there every day.
And don't forget, he died
because of an iceberg, right?
(laughter)
But he's still out there
fighting to protect them.
That is dedication, my friends.
(laughter)
Now, look,
as part of nature's cycle,
the Amazon rainforest
experiences fires
every single year,
but the reason
these fires have gotten
so much attention is
because it looks
like Brazil's new president,
Jair Bolsonaro, is quite
literally fanning the flames.
WOMAN: Brazil's president
 didn't strike the match
 that lit these flames,
 but many say,
 given his policies
 and his response to the crisis,
 he might as well have.
MAN: It is believed that many
 of the fires were started
 by farmers
 trying to clear land.
MAN 2: Bolsonaro's seeming
 support for the development
 of the Amazon may have
 emboldened farmers
 to burn land.
WOMAN 2:
 He campaigned on the idea
 that economic development
 was being stifled
 because of unnecessary
 affection for the Amazon.
MAN 3: He's delighted
 his supporters by saying
 too much of the forest
 is protected.
Since he's come into power,
he's been stripping protections
from the Amazon
and other forests in Brazil
and encouraging farmers
to set fire to land
and clear it.
Okay, that is insane, man.
Running for president
on a promise
of destroying the Amazon forest?
It doesn't sound like real life.
It sounds like something
the Joker would say.
And then even when he gets
to office, he'd be like,
"Burn down the Amazon? Come on,
that was just something I said.
"I was joking. I'm the Joker.
"It's not funny when you have
to explain the joke.
Come on, guys."
But yes, it turns out Brazil's
president is more interested
in the commercial potential
of the Amazon rainforest
than the life it protects.
Which might explain
why he's so resistant
to accepting help
from the rest of the world.
NEWSMAN: Brazilian president
 Jair Bolsonaro is refusing
 $20 million in emergency aid
 from G7 countries
 to fight those fires,
 calling it part
 of a "colonial mentality."
 Bolsonaro adding
 he didn't trust the motivation
 behind the money, telling
 reporters early this week...
"What do they want there?"
They want the Amazon
to not burn down.
Just because you want to exploit
the Amazon rainforest
doesn't mean everyone else does.
Can you imagine living
next-door to this guy?
His house would be on fire,
and then when you come
with a bucket of water to help,
he'd be like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa.
"Why are you trying
to save my house?
Are you trying
to sleep with my wife?"
And you'd be like, "No, uh,
it's just your house is on fire,
so it might come to me."
"Like my wife?"
-"No! Hey!"
-(laughter)
Now, many leaders, many leaders
of the world's biggest nations
have criticized the Brazilian
president for his inaction,
but no one has been more vocal
than French president
Emmanuel Macron.
Which is why Bolsonaro
and his government have decided
to light his ass up.
NEWSWOMAN: The rhetoric
 between France and Brazil
 really heating up as these
 fires continue to burn.
 Bolsonaro's chief of staff
 brought the recent
 Notre Dame fire into the fight,
 saying, "Macron cannot even
 avoid a predictable fire
 "in a church that is part
 of world heritage,
 and wants to give lessons
 to our country."
NEWSMAN: On Monday, Bolsonaro
 endorsed a Facebook post
 mocking the appearance
 of Macron's wife.
 Bolsonaro joined in
 on a meme on Facebook
 about the French first lady
 Brigitte Macron's appearance
 compared to his own wife,
 and he said,
 "Don't humiliate the guy."
-(audience groans)
-Goddamn.
That's one of the most petty
things I've ever seen.
Macron said the world needs
to save the Amazon,
and in response,
Bolsonaro came for Notre Dame
 and Macron's wife.
Yeah. This is gonna make the
next U.N. meeting so awkward.
Yeah. They're gonna have to put
Israel and Palestine
between Brazil and France
just to ease the tension.
They'll be like, "All right,
you guys just calm them down."
So as it stands,
the situation seems pretty bad.
The world's most precious forest
is on fire,
Brazil's leaders
aren't doing enough to stop it,
and its president
might even want this to happen.
So I'm gonna be honest, folks.
It seems like there's
only one man who can stop this.
-Donald J. Trump.
-(laughter)
You see, what we need to do is,
we need to get the president
to pull out that Magic Mark...
that magic sharpie of his,
and we need to get him to send
that hurricane down from Alabama
all the way to Brazil
to fan out the flames.
Come on, Mr. Trump,
use your power for good!
Do it now, Donald!
Do it now!
