City
Epaper

Macron: Brazil President lied about climate at G20

By IANS | Published: August 23, 2019 7:30 PM

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro "lied" about his commitments to climate change, the media reported on Friday, quoting a statement released by the leader's office here.

Open in App

The statement came as Macron called the record number of fires in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil an "international crisis" that needs to be on the top of the agenda at the upcoming G7 summit.

"Our house is burning. Literally. The Amazon rain forest - the lungs which produces 20 per cent of our planet's oxygen - is on fire. It is an international crisis. Members of the G7 Summit, let's discuss this emergency first order in two days," Macron, the host of this weekend's G7 summit of some of the world's most advanced economies, tweeted on Thursday night.

Satellite data published by the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) showed an increase of 85 per cent this year in fires across Brazil, most of them in the Amazon region.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro responded to Macron's tweet saying that the French leader was using the issue for "political gain".

Later, Macron's office said in the statement: "Given the attitude of Brazil in recent weeks, the President of the Republic can only note that the President Bolsonaro lied to him at the Summit (G20, Ed) of Osaka.

"Under these conditions, France was opposed to the free trade agreement between the European Union and South American nations," said the statement cited by Xinhua news agency.

"President Bolsonaro has decided neither to respect his climate commitments nor to commit to biodiversity ... In these circumstances, France opposes the Mercosur agreement," it said, referring to the EU-Mercosur trade deal.

On Twitter and his weekly Facebook live video, Bolsonaro said: "Some countries are taking advantage of the moment to increase their criticism of Brazil in order to damage agribusiness and our economy.

"I am sorry that President Macron is using an internal matter of Brazil and other countries in the Amazon region for personal political gains. The sensationalist tone he used does nothing to help," he added.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: BrazilMacronJair BolsonaroamazonG7
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalDeath Toll Hits 143 From Brazil’s ‘Worst-Ever’ Weather Catastrophe

InternationalBrazil Floods: Death Toll From Rises to 75,155 Injured and 103 Still Missing So Far

InternationalBrazil Floods: At Least 56 Killed Due to Torrential Rains and Mudslides (Watch Video)

InternationalBrazil Shocker: Woman Arrested After Taking Dead Uncle To Bank To Take Out Loan

EntertainmentAmazon miniTV Launches Tamil and Telugu Content For Regional Audience With Over 200 Dubbed Movies and Shows

International Realted Stories

InternationalNahyan bin Zayed crowns Al Wasl Football Club after winning UAE President's Cup

InternationalFour, including Spanish tourists killed in armed attack in Afghanistan

InternationalAramco signs 3 MoUs with American companies to advance development of lower-carbon energy solutions

InternationalBrazil to host FIFA Women's World Cup 2027

InternationalIsraeli forces uncover bodies of 3 hostages in Gaza