Amazon rainforest fires: global leaders urged to divert Brazil from 'suicide' path

Experts say international pressure may be only way to sway Bolsonaro government

International pressure may be the only way to stop the Brazilian government from taking a "suicide" path in the Amazon, one of the country's most respected scientists has said, as the world's biggest rainforest continues to be ravaged by thousands of deliberate fires.

The large number of conflagrations - set illegally to clear and prepare land for crops, cattle and property speculation - has prompted the state of Amazonas to declare an emergency, created giant smoke clouds that have drifted hundreds of miles, and sparked international concerns about the destruction of an essential carbon sink.