G7 pledges funds to fight Amazon fires

PORTO VELHO, Brazil (AP) :

The Group of Seven (G-7) nations on Monday pledged tens of millions of dollars to help Amazon countries fight raging wildfires even as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro accused rich countries of treating the region like a “colony”.

The pledge by rich countries included $20 million from the G7 and a separate $11 million from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Canada has also offered to send firefighting planes to Brazil.

The funds were widely seen as a relatively small amount for dealing with an environmental crisis of such scale, and it was unclear how exactly the money would be administered on the ground. Brazil’s environment minister, Ricardo Salles, said the aid was welcome and that Brazil should decide how the resources are used.

The international pledges came despite tensions between European countries and the Brazilian president, who suggested the West was angling to exploit Brazil’s natural resources.

“Look, does anyone help anyone ... without something in return? What have they wanted there for so long?” he said to journalists outside the presidential palace.

Bolsonaro has insulted adversaries and allies, disparaged women, black and gay people, and even praised his country’s 1964-1985 dictatorship. But nothing has rallied more anger at home and criticism from abroad than his response to the fires raging in parts of the Amazon region.

The populist Brazilian leader initially questioned whether activist groups might have started the fires in an effort to damage the credibility of his government. Bolsonaro has called for looser environmental regulations in the world’s largest rainforest to spur development.

In response, European leaders threatened to block a major trade deal with Brazil that would benefit the very agricultural interests accused of driving deforestation.

The impact of the fires and smoke has disrupted life for many in the Amazon region. The airport in Porto Velho, the capital of Rondonia state, was closed for more than an hour Monday morning because of poor visibility. On Sunday, a soccer match of a lower-tier national league was briefly suspended because of smoke in Rio Branco, capital of Acre state, as fire burned in a field outside the stadium.

In Para state, where fires have swept many areas, resident Moacir Cordeiro said he was worried about their impact on nature and his health. Smoke rose from nearby trees as he spoke.

“I don’t think there are enough people to extinguish the fires,” said Cordeiro, who lives in the Alvorada da Amazonia region. He said it was difficult to breathe at night because of the smoke.

Another man, Antonio de Jesus, was also worried.

“Nature shouldn’t be killed off like that,” he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday continued his feud with Bolsonaro, who has endorsed a Facebook post insulting Macron’s wife. Macron accused the Brazilian leader of skipping a scheduled meeting with the French foreign minister in favour of a barber appointment and reiterated that Bolsonaro had lied to him.

“It’s sad. First for him and for the Brazilians,” Macron said.

Brazilian women “are doubtless ashamed to read that about their president” he said, adding that he hoped the country would soon have a president who could behave according to the standards of the office.

Bolsonaro, in turn, referred to Macron’s “ludicrous and unnecessary attacks on the Amazon” and accused the French leader of treating the region “as if we were a colony”.

Thousands of people have demonstrated in cities across Brazil and outside Brazilian embassies around the world. #PrayforAmazonia has become a worldwide trending topic.