G-7 leaders close to agreement on fighting Amazon fires

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday said the G7 was nearing a deal to provide ‘technical and financial help’ to countries affected by the Amazon fires.   

Nearly 80,000 fires have been registered across Brazil through August 24, the highest since at least 2013, according to space research 
agency INPE.   

UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised £10 million to be made available immediately to help protect the Amazon rainforest habitats and called on world leaders to step up efforts to save endangered species.   

Brazilian Hercules warplanes have also been sent to dump thousands of gallons of water on the burning forests in the Amazon state of Rondonia, in response to a global outcry over the destruction of the world’s largest tropical rain forest.   

As of Sunday, President Jair Bolsonaro authorized military operations in seven states to combat raging fires in the Amazon at the request from their local governments, a spokeswoman for his 
office said. Bolsonaro, who has the nickname ‘Captain Chainsaw’ for his support of deforestation.   

The response comes as leaders of countries in the Group of Seven (G7) nations currently meeting in France expressed grave concerns over the fires.   
-  France, (Daily Mail)26
August 2019