Jair Bolsonaro, nicknamed the Trump of the Amazon, may be brought before the International Criminal Court in the Hague for his role in promoting and sanctioning ecocidal and genocidal actions in the Amazon rainforest.

According to Agence France Presse, Two Amazon chiefs have accused Bolsonaro of “crimes against humanity”, for unprecedented environmental damage, killings and persecution.

The complaint to the ICC states that deforestation in the Amazon has increased by 34.5 percent in one year, the assassination of indigenous leaders is at an 11-year high and environmental agencies have collapsed or faced threats.”

One Chief told AFP that Bolsanaro was using the COVID crisis to eliminate Indigenous peoples.

Even now Brazil’s President is pushing to open up the Amazon to oil and gas development, mining and industrial agriculture.

Attempts to hold Bolsonaro accountable are also coming from outside Brazil. The Maldives, a small island nation slowly sinking under rising seas, charges destruction of the Amazon endangers the entire planet due to its critical role in stabilizing the climate.

For the Earth Minute and the Sojourner Truth show this is Anne Petermann from Global Justice Ecology Project.