As wildfires rage in the Amazon, Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro has suggested non-governmental organisations are burning them to make him look bad.

The country has seen a record number of wildfires this year, with 74,155 breaking out as of Tuesday, says Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE).

Environmentalists blame the 84 per cent increase on last year on Bolsonaro’s fixation on developing the economy – even at the expense of Brazil’s protected areas.

In a video on his Facebook account, the far-right leader said: ‘Maybe – I am not affirming it – these (NGO people) are carrying out some criminal actions to draw attention against me, against the government of Brazil.

‘This is the war we are facing.’

But when pressed by reporters to back up his claims, the climate change sceptic did not provide any evidence.

The INPE says deforestation surged by 67 per cent in the first seven months of 2019.

But Bolsonaro has brushed off the forest fires by saying it was the time of year when farmers use fire to clear their land.

He has vowed to develop the protected Amazon region for farming and mining, ignoring international concern over the impact of cutting down trees.

Eerie pictures show the city of Sao Paulo plunged into darkness in the middle of the day by thick clouds of smoke wafting from the Amazon.

Bolsonaro, who once threatened to leave the Paris climate accord, has repeatedly attacked environmental nonprofits, who he sees as obstacles in his quest to develop Brazil’s economy.

He and Environment Minister Ricardo Salles are both close to the powerful rural caucus in Congress and have been urging more development and economic opportunities in the Amazon region, which they consider overly protected by current legislation.

The government is also facing international pressure to protect the vast rainforest from illegal logging or mining activities.

Concerns over the regimes lack of commitment to saving the jungles, Germany and Norway have decided to withhold more than $60 million in funds earmarked for sustainability projects in Brazil’s forests.

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