Brazil fires: celebrities sharing concern get their images wrong

From presidents to pop stars, messages of alarm were accompanied by photos from other blazes

FILE PHOTO: Singer Madonna arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gala, Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between in New York City, U.S. on May 1, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo
Powered by automated translation

Many high-profile figures who have spoken up on social media about the fires raging in the Amazon – from Madonna and Cristiano Ronaldo to Leonardo DiCaprio and Emmanuel Macron – have posted accompanying photographs that are either years old or were taken in other parts of the world.

Official figures show nearly 73,000 forest fires were recorded in Brazil in the first eight months of the year, the highest number for any year since 2013. Most were in the Amazon.

"Our house is on fire. Literally. The Amazon, the lung of our planet which produces 20 percent of our oxygen is burning," France's President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter, posting a photograph of a burning forest accompanied by the hashtag #ActForTheAmazon.

"It is an international crisis. Members of the G7, let's talk in two days about this emergency," Mr Macron said ahead of the summit this weekend in Biarritz.

But the photograph used by the French leader does not show this year's fires. A reverse image search showed that it was taken by the American photojournalist Loren McIntyre, known for his work for National Geographic.

Although the image search tool does not reveal when exactly the photograph was taken, McIntyre died in 2003, meaning the image is at least 16 years old.

Chile's president, Sebastian Pinera, also ended up tweeting a misleading image to issue a warning about the fires, using a photograph by Reuters journalist Nacho Doce from 2013.

Leonardo DiCaprio shared two pictures that proved to be inaccurate – the first was the same one shared by Macron while the second was shot in the Peruvian city of Puerto Maldonado in 2016.

Peru is not currently affected by the fires, though authorities are "on alert".

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

#Regram #RG @rainforestalliance: The lungs of the Earth are in flames. 🔥 The Brazilian Amazon—home to 1 million Indigenous people and 3 million species—has been burning for more than two weeks straight. There have been 74,000 fires in the Brazilian Amazon since the beginning of this year—a staggering 84% increase over the same period last year (National Institute for Space Research, Brazil). Scientists and conservationists attribute the accelerating deforestation to President Jair Bolsonaro, who issued an open invitation to loggers and farmers to clear the land after taking office in January.⁣ ⁣ The largest rainforest in the world is a critical piece of the global climate solution. Without the Amazon, we cannot keep the Earth’s warming in check. ⁣ ⁣ The Amazon needs more than our prayers. So what can YOU do?⁣ ⁣ ✔ As an emergency response, donate to frontline Amazon groups working to defend the forest. ⁣ ✔ Consider becoming a regular supporter of the Rainforest Alliance’s community forestry initiatives across the world’s most vulnerable tropical forests, including the Amazon; this approach is by far the most effective defense against deforestation and natural forest fires, but it requires deep, long-term collaboration between the communities and the public and private sectors. ✔ Stay on top of this story and keep sharing posts, tagging news agencies and influencers. ⁣ ✔ Be a conscious consumer, taking care to support companies committed to responsible supply chains.⁣ Eliminate or reduce consumption of beef; cattle ranching is one of the primary drivers of Amazon deforestation. ✔ When election time comes, VOTE for leaders who understand the urgency of our climate crisis and are willing to take bold action—including strong governance and forward-thinking policy.⁣ ⁣ #RainforestAlliance #SaveTheAmazon #PrayForAmazonia #AmazonRainforest #ActOnClimate #ForestsResist #ClimateCrisis 📸: @mohsinkazmitakespictures / Windy.com

A post shared by Leonardo DiCaprio (@leonardodicaprio) on

Actor and rapper Jaden Smith, son of superstar Will Smith, posted a dramatic image on Instagram that shows a vast forest on fire as huge columns of smoke rise from it. But the photo, which has garnered more than 1.5 million likes, dates back to 1989.

Argentine actress and singer Martina Stoessel also shared an old photo in a Twitter post saying, "How sad to see this...." That picture was shot by Getty Images photographer Mario Toma in 2014.

While Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton and Brazil soccer captain Dani Alves also posted the photograph taken by McIntyre, tennis star Novak Djokovic shared the 1989 photo posted by Jaden Smith.

Portuguese soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo sounded the alarm on Instagram, alerting his 180 million followers that "the Amazon Rainforest produces more than 20% of the world's oxygen and its been burning for the past 3 weeks." But the photo accompanying his message was taken on March 29, 2013 by Lauro Alves, from the Brazilian agency RBS, in the non-Amazonian state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Barcelona FC's Argentinian striker Luis Suarez also posted an old photo, shot by journalist Nacho Doce in 2015.

Musical performers voicing their concern also got it wrong. Puerto Rican pop star Ricky Martin and Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello shared the McIntyre photo tweeted by Mr Macron, DiCaprio and Alves, while US superstar Madonna posted the same 1989 image shared by Smith and Djokovic.

"President Bolsonaro please change your policies and help not only your country but the entire planet. No economic development is more important than protecting this land," Madonna wrote on her Instagram post.

"We need to WAKE -UP!!"