abatement program for these families. johnson & johnson is vowing to appeal and saying that this could stretch the process out for another couple of years. we should point out that there are at least two other pharmaceutical companies that have settled with the state of oklahoma for millions upon millions of dollars. all of them face multiple lawsuits across the country. david? just one state right here tonight. steve, thank you. now, to alarming images coming in from the amazon. our team on the front lines of those devastating fires in the rain forest. the rain forest, of course, called the lungs of the planet, providing an estimated 20% of the world s oxygen. and tonight, these are the new images coming in, those catastrophic fires racing through the rain forest at record speed. firefighters overwhelmed and so are the farmers, the workers, the people who live at the edge of the forest. and our matt gutman and our team right there with them. reporter: those fires roaring across
for an end to empty promises are still slated to take place on the sidelines of the so much. the free trade deal between the e.u. and south american bloc marcus or took 20 years to negotiate was finalized in june but now it s on shaky ground france and ireland say brazil has were nega on environmental commitments in the deal and they will block it as a result that s amid an international outcry over wildfires raging in the amazon. the amazon fires may be an environmental disaster but they are being found by the country s crippling recession. populus president gyre bazza narrow is using his country s economic plight as an excuse to allow corporate interests free rein in the wilderness under both the narrow deforestation has accelerated white swathes of the rain forest have been cut down for timber or even worse burns down to make room for cattle for soybeans or to be developed by mining companies there are rich
the amazon fires may be an environmental disaster but they are being found by the country s crippling recession. populus president gyre bazza narrow is using his country s economic plight as an excuse to allow corporate interests free rein in the wilderness under both the narrow deforestation has accelerated white swathes of the rain forest have been cut down for temper or even worse burns down to make room for cattle for soybeans or to be developed by mining companies there are rich reserves of copper in the area a treasure trove for a populous president many experts say the dire economic situation in much of the country has enabled balsa narrow to implement his agenda. by using we have a country an economic recession and this kind of thing is happening and dizzy the fires under the tree are saying it s illegally done by people invading areas that
been ravaging the amazon rain forest over the course of this year. official figures show more than 75,000 fires have been recorded in brazil. in the worst eight months of this year, that s compared to 40,000 last year. speaking with reporters yesterday, jair bolsonaro says he doesn t have the ability to force the country s interior ministry to send a team to combat the fires, adding that if he could it would be only a team of 40 firefighters. bolsonaro doubled down on the claim that nongovernmental organizations were the ones setting the wildfires in the amazon to hurt his government. but admitted he has no evidence to back up his claim. conservationists have blamed brazil s government for the crisis in the rain forest to arguing that bolsonaro has encouraged the clearing of land by loggers and farmers, speeding up the deforestation of the rain forest as a result. we ll be following this story.
detected by researchers so far this year. an 83% increase from 2018. the fires, visible even from space. those white patches not clouds, but smoke. powerful winds carrying it nearly 1,700 miles away to sao paolo. these images from monday afternoon. drivers forced to use their headlights in the darkness. the major concern, how the wildfires could accelerate climate change. the amazon rain forest produces 20% of the oxygen in the earth s atmosphere. a vital defense against global warming. tonight, brazil s president without evidence suggesting environmental groups may have had a role in the fires as a ploy for money. and david, president bolsonaro s critics say he s harmed the rain forest since he took office, selling it off, they feel, to farmers, loggers and miners. david? james longman. we ll stay on it. thanks. when we come back here tonight, the doctor accused of being intoxicated on the job, now facing charges in the deaths