Presidents Piñera and Macron announce a plan to help fight wildfires in the Amazon
The leaders at the G7 summit have agreed to set up a US$20 million fund for the Amazon. The plan includes resources to put out the wildfires and a long term plan to protect its forests and jungles.
President Sebastián Piñera, from Chile, and President Emmanuel Macron, from France, announced on Monday an assistance plan from the G7 countries to fight the wildfires that are affecting the Amazon. This includes an immediate injection of funds to extinguish the fires and a program to protect its biodiversity.
“We have to protect the lungs of the world,” said President Piñera at a press conference along with President Macron, in the context of the G7 leaders’ summit.
The President explained that the program includes two stages. The first and most urgent one is the creation of a US$20 million fund to assist Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Peru in the fight against the wildfires. This will provide the four countries with more resources to fight the wildfires.
Furthermore, the program also includes the development of a policy to protect the biodiversity of the Amazon in the long term. The details of the plan will be discussed with the countries involved during the next UN General Assembly to be held in New York in September.
President Piñera explained that he had been in touch with the leaders of the countries affected by the fires in order to collaborate on the structure of the aid program. The French president thanked Chile for its role in putting together a response to this crisis.
“We are very pleased that we have reached an agreement and to be able to help these countries,” the President said. He emphasized the importance for all countries to move forward on policies to protect and care for the environment.
The President also called on countries to reach more ambitious commitments and goals at the next climate change summit, COP 25 Chile 2019, which will be held in Santiago in December.