A horrifying picture of the Amazon rainforest being engulfed by flames. (Image via The Independent)

Brazil rejects G7 donation for Amazon fires

Alfonsus Adi Putra
Politics & Economic
International
Aug 27, 2019
2300
BRASILIA - During the 45th G7 Summit, one of the topics raised was the Amazon forest fires that consumed the largest rainforest referred to as the lungs of the world. The fire has been ongoing for three weeks and about 73,000 fires were detected from Amazon.

Therefore, the country leaders involved in the Summit created an initiative to assist Brazil in tackling the fire that consumed 950,000 hectares of the largest rainforest in the world.

Amazon rainforest, as the largest forest in the world, transverses 9 countries in width. Due to its vast capacity for processing carbon dioxide, the protection of the Amazon rainforest was seen as integral in protecting the world from global warming.

On Monday in Biarritz, the venue of the 45th G7 Summit, President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and President of Chile, Sebastian Pinera, pledged approximately more than US$20 million to help Brazil extinguishing the consuming flames.

Pinera explained that the initiative will be implemented in two stages. The first stage will be extinguishing the flame by deploying specialized firefighters and water bombers. The second stage will be conserving the biodiversity and reforestation of the Amazon rainforest.

The G7 members all agreed to the initiative. However, strident and opposing tone came from the President of Brazil himself, Jair Bolsonaro. The Brazilian rejected the initiative, saying that the initiative treated Brazil like a colony.

Contrary to Bolsonaro, Brazilian Minister of Environment, Ricardo Salles, gladly welcomed the assistance fund from G7 and was ready to deploy the firefighters.

Bolsonaro, represented by the Chief of Staff to President, Onyx Lorenzoni, expressed his rejection toward the assistance fund.

“We kindly appreciated the offer. However, those resources might be more relevant to European reforestation,” said Lorenzoni.

Furthermore, Lorenzoni made a hot remark that France should mind their own business, learning lessons from the Notre-Dame fire. In other words, he said that if Macron could not handle the fire, why should Brazil rely on his assistance?

Macron and Bolsonaro had been at it since Bolsonaro made a “rude” remark about Macron’s wife, Brigette Macron by comparing her to Bolsonaro’s wife, Michelle Bolsonaro. Macron that all Brazilian women were ashamed of the attitude of their president.

Reacting to the forest fire, Macron condemned the Brazilian government for their slow reaction. He threatened that if the fire stayed, a trade deal between the European Union (EU) and Latin America could be aborted.

Furthermore, Macron’s shout-out towards Amazon fires triggered Bolsonaro to comment about Macron as having a “colonialist” mentality. The Brazilian president questioned Macron’s motive in helping Brazil. Lorenzoni and Bolsonaro both accused Macron of intending to establish colonialization in Brazil as his ulterior motive.

Bolsonaro accused several NGOs of framing him by setting the fire, to which he could not prove. Previously, Bolsonaro also stated that the preservation of Amazon only hindered Brazil’s economic development.

Finally, on Sunday, Bolsonaro deployed two aircraft to alleviate the fire having been pressed from every side.

Macron, on the other hand, expressed his dissatisfaction with Bolsonaro’s rude and uncivilized comments. He hoped that sooner or later Brazil would get a proper leader who could give a “proper reaction”.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/g7-pledges-20m-fight-record-amazon-fires-190826113023820.html

Politics , International , G7 , Brazil , Amazon , Fire , Macron , Bolsonaro