G7 leaders agree plan to help Amazon countries fight wildfires
The G7 countries have agreed to an immediate $20m (£18m) aid package to help Amazon countries fight wildfires and launch a long-term global initiative to protect the rainforest.
The announcement came from French president Emmanuel Macron, the host of this year’s meeting of G7 leaders, and the Chilean President Sebastián Piñera. Macron said that the Amazon represents the “lungs” of the planet and that leaders were studying the possibility of similar support in Africa, also suffering from fires in its rainforests.
Macron said the US supported the initiative, although he acknowledged that U.S. President Donald Trump had skipped Monday’s working session on the environment.
Satellites have recorded more than 41,000 fires in the Amazon region so far this year — with more than half of those coming this month alone. Experts say most of the fires are set by farmers or ranchers clearing existing farmland.
Macron had shunted the Amazon fires to the top of the summit agenda after declaring them a global emergency, and kicked off discussions about the disaster at a welcome dinner for fellow leaders on Saturday.
The leaders of the G7 countries – the US, France, Britain, Germany, Japan, Canada and Italy – are wrapping up a summit in Biarritz dominated by tensions over US trade policies and a surprise visit by Iran’s top diplomat.
Trump and Macron will finish off the three-day summit with a joint news conference later on Monday.
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