(Biarritz) The Canadian government is providing $ 15 million and water bombers to fight the forest fires that are currently ravaging the Amazon rainforest, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday after the G7 summit in France.
Canada is also asking the Brazilian government to see what else it can do to help extinguish these fires, which Mr. Trudeau described as a symptom of a growing climate crisis. G7 leaders also agreed to immediately create a US $ 20 million fund to help Amazon countries and launch a global initiative to protect the rainforest.
Monday's agreement was reached after a summit working session on climate, oceans and biodiversity – a session that US President Donald Trump missed to participate in bilateral meetings with other leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. French President Emmanuel Macron, however, said that the Trump team was present in the room and that the US president agreed with the common goal of helping the Amazon rainforest.
Chilean President Sebastián Piñera said the G7's efforts were aimed specifically at Brazil, Bolivia, Peru and Paraguay. "They need – and urgently – fire brigades and aircraft," said Piñera.
"The second step is (an effort) in the longer term and will require the agreement of the countries involved," he added, highlighting not only a plan for reforestation of parts of the Amazon basin ravaged by the flames, but also a plan to preserve the biodiversity of the entire region. "Of course, that would always respect their sovereignty," he said. "We think we need to protect these real lungs of our world. "
International pressures
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro first downplayed the extent of the fires. The populist far-right leader then questioned whether environmental activists would not have set fire to undermine the credibility of his government, which had called for a relaxation of environmental regulation in the world's largest rainforest to stimulate agricultural development.
In response, European leaders had threatened to block a major trade deal with Brazil that would benefit agricultural interests, the very people who are singled out for deforestation. Protesters have also taken to the streets in Brazil and elsewhere in the world. Under pressure from civil society and different countries, President Bolsonaro finally announced Friday that he would send 44,000 troops to help fight fires.
President Macron had already announced his intention to make climate issues a priority on the agenda for discussions ahead of the Biarritz summit this weekend. Calling the forest fires in the Amazon "international crisis", he called for an emergency debate – a call immediately hailed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who should make the environment a major issue of his election campaign this fall . Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland had spoken Sunday with her Brazilian counterpart and offered Canada's support.
Satellites have recorded more than 41,000 fires in the Amazon region so far this year, more than half of them in August alone. When asked why the G7 countries had only promised $ 20 million, Trudeau said he could not speak on behalf of his colleagues. He was, however, delighted "to be part of this network that will directly and concretely help our friends in the Amazon".
"We have benefited from the help of countries and firefighters like Mexicans and Australians in similar situations in recent years," he said during his closing press conference in Biarritz on Monday after midday.
An apparent harmony
Environmental issues are still of little interest to the US administration, which has already announced the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris agreement on climate change.
Presidents Trump and Macron nonetheless posted some unity notes on Monday at the close of the G7 summit, a tone very different from the one that marked the end of last year's annual meeting in Charlevoix. Trump had then left La Malbaie in a flood of tweeting messages on Twitter to Mr Trudeau, the host of the summit, and he had demanded that his name be removed from the final communiqué.
"I would say it was a big step forward in terms of unity, in terms of agreement," Trump told reporters on Monday. We agreed on many important topics, but last year was good too. "
"Last year may have been a bit underrated," he added.
Trump will be hosting the G7 summit next year and said he would be willing to invite Russia, who was expelled from the group in 2014 because of Moscow's annexation of Crimea.
Canada disagrees, but Mr. Trudeau said he would not boycott the meeting if Vladimir Putin was present as a guest of Mr. Trump.
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