Why Does The President Of Brazil Have A Problem With Leonardo DiCaprio?

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro claimed on Thursday that celebrity Leonardo DiCaprio gives money to non-government organizations that contribute to forest fires in the Amazon.

"DiCaprio is a cool guy, isn't he? Giving money to set the Amazon on fire," Bolsonaro told supporters in the capital of Brasilia. Bolsonaro has pushed a theory that NGOs are causing fires in the Amazon in order to raise money from sympathetic donors.

Earlier this week, police raided the headquarters of two non-profit groups in the Brazilian state of Para, where the Amazon rainforest is located. Four volunteer firefighters were arrested, with authorities alleging that they start fires to raise international funding. The volunteers have denied that they have committed a crime, and a Brazilian judge has ordered their release.

DiCaprio fired back at Bolsonaro's claims.

"The future of these irreplaceable ecosystems is at stake and I am proud to stand with the groups protecting them," DiCaprio wrote Saturday on Instagram. "While worthy of support, we did not fund the organizations targeted."

After wildfires raged in the Amazon rainforest region in July and August, DiCaprio's environmental organization Earth Alliance pledged $5 million to protect the tropical rainforest.

Bolsonaro, who has made many controversial statements, has pushed for the Amazon rainforest to be developed for the purposes of logging, mining and agriculture. He has criticized claims that the Amazon is the lungs of the world, saying that it is a "misconception."

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has said that the Amazon has seen a marked increase in wildfires this year, the most since 2010. Bolsonaro took office on Jan. 1 after winning on a populist platform during the October 2018 elections. He has struggled with an approval rating of 35%.