Tuesday 27 August 2019

Brazil to reject $20m of G7 aid for Amazon rainforest fires

Brazil is to reject an offer of $20 million (£16.3m) in international aid agreed by the G7 countries to help fight the raging fires in the Amazon rainforest.

During the G7 summit in Biarritz, French President Emmanuel Macron said the nations, comprising Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US, would donate the amount to tackle the blazes.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also pledged £10 million separately.

Tropical rainforests cover around 6% of the Earth’s surface but their soils are believed to contain nearly 30% of the total global carbon stocks, making them one of the most important carbon sinks.

Mr Macron said the funds would be made available immediately, primarily to pay for more firefighting planes.

However, Brazilian officials are expected to reject the offer.

Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo said there are already several mechanisms under the UN Climate Convention to fund deforestation and that “no one needs a new initiative for the Amazon”.

He tweeted: “France (as well as other developed countries) is expected to meet its commitments already made in these mechanisms, such as the Redd +, the Kyoto carbon credits and the green climate fund.

“The efforts of some political currents to extrapolate real environmental issues into a fabricated 'crisis' as a pretext for introducing mechanisms for external control of the Amazon are very evident.

“Brazil will not accept any initiative that implies relativising sovereignty over its territory, whatever the pretext and whatever the guise.”

NASA's recent data reveals a giant plume of carbon monoxide from fires in the Amazon rainforest.