Bolsonaro Says He Will Only Accept G-7 Forest-Fire Donations if Macron Apologizes for Insults
Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro said Tuesday that he will only accept the G-7’s offer of international aid to fight fires ravaging the Amazon rain forest if French president Emmanuel Macron first apologizes for insulting his handling of the crisis.
“Before speaking or accepting anything from France, even if it comes from the best possible intentions, he must retract his words. Then we can talk,” Bolsonaro told reporters.
Bolsonaro was referring to the $20 million in aid pledged during the G-7 summit on Monday in France. The offer of aid came after Macron criticized Bolsonaro last week for cutting environmental regulations despite assurances that he would prioritize the fight against global warming.
The newly elected Brazilian president responded by accusing Macron of expressing a “colonialist mentality,” and suggested that France and the other G-7 nations plan to use the aid to exercise leverage over Brazil and its Amazonian resources.
“Look, does anyone help anyone . . . without something in return? What have they wanted there for so long?” Bolsonaro said.
In response, Macron assured Bolsonaro that he had no ulterior motives for extending the aid.
“We respect your sovereignty. It’s your country,” he said, according to the AP. But “the Amazon forest is a subject for the whole planet. We can help you reforest. We can find the means for your economic development that respects the natural balance. But we cannot allow you to destroy everything.”
Bolsonaro further exacerbated the disagreement by appearing to mock Macron’s wife on Facebook by sharing an image of her next to an image of his own wife with the caption: “Don’t humiliate the guy … haha.”
Macron addressed the controversy at the G-7 summit on Monday, calling it a “sad” situation for Brazil.
“He had extremely disrespectful comments towards my wife,” the French president said. “What can I tell you? It’s sad. It’s sad for him and for Brazilians. I think that Brazilian women are probably ashamed to read that their president has done that.”
The number of fires in the Amazon has increased by 75 percent this year, according to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research. The dramatic jump has sparked an international controversy as world leaders express concerns about the potential for the deforestation to increase global warming. While politicians and journalists have emphasized the Amazon’s oxygen-producing role as the “lungs” of the world, some skeptical scientists have questioned the rainforest’s importance to the global climate.
