Celebrities are spreading misinformation about Amazon fires

Many high-profile figures seeking to denounce the fires in the Amazon – from Madonna and Cristiano Ronaldo to Leonardo DiCaprio and Emmanuel Macron – have unwittingly ended up misleading millions on social media, either sharing photographs of the region that are years old or images 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 (1) accompanied by the hashtag #ActForTheAmazon.

“It is an international crisis. Members of the G7, let’s talk in two days about this emergency,” Macron said ahead of a planned 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.

(1)

Notre maison brûle. Littéralement. L’Amazonie, le poumon de notre planète qui produit 20% de notre oxygène, est en feu. C’est une crise internationale. Membres du G7, rendez-vous dans deux jours pour parler de cette urgence. #ActForTheAmazon pic.twitter.com/Og2SHvpR1P

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 22, 2019

Chile’s president, Sebastian Pinera, also ended up tweeting a misleading image to issue a warning about the fires, using a photograph (2) by Reuters journalist Nacho Doce from 2013.

(2)

Los incendios forestales en #Amazonas son graves, afectan los pulmones de nuestro planeta y ponen en riesgo la salud de sus habitantes. Hoy conversé con Presidentes de Brasil @jairBolsonaro y Bolivia @Evoespueblo y les ofrecí la ayuda de Chile para combatir los incendios. pic.twitter.com/oMG1bJAKvl

— Sebastian Piñera (@sebastianpinera) August 22, 2019

Leonardo DiCaprio shared two pictures that proved to be inaccurate – the first (3) was the same one shared by Macron while the second (4) was shot in the Peruvian city of Puerto Maldonado in 2016.

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

(3)

 

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#Regram #RG @IamNickRose: Terrifying to think that the Amazon is the largest rain forest on the planet, creating 20% of the earth’s oxygen, basically the lungs of the world, has been on fire and burning for the last 16 days running, with literally NO media coverage whatsoever! Why?

A post shared by Leonardo DiCaprio (@leonardodicaprio) on Aug 21, 2019 at 12:11pm PDT

(4)

 

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#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

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A post shared by Leonardo DiCaprio (@leonardodicaprio) on Aug 22, 2019 at 7:12am PDT

Actor and rapper Jaden Smith, son of superstar Will Smith, posted a dramatic image (5) 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.

(5)

 

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The AMAZON Rain FOREST IS ON FIRE THIS IS TERRIBLE IT’S ONE OF THE BIGGEST CARBON SINKS IN THE WORLD, Spread The Word. #theamazonrainforest

A post shared by Jaden Smith (@c.syresmith) on Aug 21, 2019 at 5:35am PDT

Argentine actress and singer Martina Stoessel also shared an old photo (6) with a Twitter post saying, “How sad to see this…”. That picture was shot by Getty Images photographer Mario Toma in 2014.

(6)

Que tristeza ver esto…Mientras el Amazonas se incendia hace 16 días, la indiferencia de muchos nos lleva a la extinción del planeta. Es una verguenza la falta de cobertura de algunos medios #PrayforAmazonas pic.twitter.com/Lde72t9bEN

— tini (@TiniStoessel) August 22, 2019

F1 driver Lewis Hamilton (7) and Brazil soccer captain Dani Alves (8) also posted one of the most widely shared misleading images — the picture taken by photographer McIntyre before 2003.

(7)

 

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It is devastating to see our world suffer. The Amazon rainforest is burning at a record rate and there have been 80% more fires this year compared to last. Scientist refer to the Amazon as the earths lungs as it produces 20% of the oxygen we breath. More than a soccer field is being destroyed every minute everyday, the world needs to come together and help. If you haven’t already, please post about it, it is vital we continue to spark action. @unitednations if there is anything I can do, I’m ready to help in anyway I can. #healtheworld #brazil #pray

A post shared by Lewis Hamilton (@lewishamilton) on Aug 22, 2019 at 6:43am PDT

(8)

 

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O verde para nós significa esperança e na imagem o reflexo do que as pessoa estão fazendo com ela. Reclamam depois de desenvolvimentos, de educação, de igualdade social, de direitos, mas esquecem sempre dos deveres.. lembrem-se; aqueles que não são capazes de cuidar o natural, jamais terão direitos de poderes social. Respeitem a NATUREZA, ela é a força maior dessa vida, nem humanos nem falsos poderosos conseguirão acabar com ela. “E só pra lembrar: Ela sempre golpeara mais forte, não a ponha a prova” #respeito✊????

A post shared by DanialvesD2 My Twitter (@danialves) on Aug 20, 2019 at 3:36pm PDT

Meanwhile, tennis star Novak Djokovic (9) shared the 1989 photo posted by Smith.

(9)

Heartbreaking 💔💔💔 #PrayforAmazonas pic.twitter.com/a46W8wArpT

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) August 21, 2019

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 (10) 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.

(10)

 

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The Amazon Rainforest produces more than 20% of the world’s oxygen and its been burning for the past 3 weeks. It’s our responsibility to help to save our planet. #prayforamazonia

A post shared by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) on Aug 22, 2019 at 10:21am PDT

Barca striker Luis Suarez also posted an old photo (11) dating back to 2015 and shot by journalist Nacho Doce.

(11)

#PrayForAmazonas y mucha fuerza a nuestro pulmón del mundo. Luchemos entre todos para cuidarlo 💪💪 pic.twitter.com/0PLr2wWdbe

— Luis Suárez (@LuisSuarez9) August 22, 2019

Puerto Rican pop star Ricky Martin (13) and Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello (14) also shared the McIntyre photo tweeted by Macron, DiCaprio and Alves.

(13)

 

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Cuando la catedral de Notre Dame estaba ardiendo en llamas, los medios de comunicación del mundo cubrieron cada momento y algunos billorarios se apresuraron a restaurarla. En este momento la selva amazónica está ardiendo. El pulmón de nuestro planeta lleva tres semanas en llamas. No hay cobertura mediática y tampoco billonarios. THIS IS A REAL GLOBAL ISSUE. Where are the real leaders OF THE WORLD joining forces for The #Amazon ????#repost: @wilfredorosado

A post shared by Ricky (@ricky_martin) on Aug 21, 2019 at 2:46pm PDT

(14)

This makes me want to cry with frustration. what are we DOING? We’re literally destroying our miracle of a home 😭😭😭 I’m so sorry, earth 💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/0MDMCowsPZ

— camila (@Camila_Cabello) August 21, 2019

US superstar Madonna posted the same 1989 image (15) shared by Smith and Djokovic, writing on Instagram: “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.”

“We need to WAKE -UP!!” she wrote.

(15)

The Fires Are Raging and The Amazonia continues to burn………This is a devastation to Brazil—to the indigenous people who live there and the-plant and animal species that make this the most important bio-diverse Forest!!! President Bolsonaro please… https://t.co/YbxldYw8HY pic.twitter.com/lex4UIwHcg

— Madonna (@Madonna) August 22, 2019

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