G7 leaders have come to an agreement to offer help to Brazil to help fight the raging wildfires in the Amazon rainforest.
French President Emmanuel Macron says the countries will offer short-term assistance to help douse the flames.
WATCH: World leaders talk climate change at G7 summit
G7 countries have agreed to an immediate US$20-million fund to help Amazon countries fight wildfires and launch a long-term global initiative to protect the rainforest.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was quick to echo Macron’s calls for action on the rainforest fires a day before the G7 summit began.
Get daily National news
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland spoke to her Brazilian counterpart Sunday and offered Canada’s support.
Satellites have recorded more than 41,000 fires in the Amazon region so far this year — with more than half of those coming this month alone.
WATCH: G7 close to deal on tackling Amazon fires as military planes work to douse flames
Bolivia has also struggled to contain fires that swept through woods and fields. A U.S.-based aircraft, the B747-400 SuperTanker, is flying over devastated areas in Bolivia to help put out the blazes and protect forests.
On Saturday, several helicopters along with police, military troops, firefighters and volunteers on the ground worked to extinguish fires in Bolivia’s Chiquitania region, where the woods are dry at this time of year.
Farmers commonly set fires in this season to clear land for crops or livestock, but sometimes the blazes get out of control. The Bolivian government says 9,530 square kilometres (3680 square miles) have been burned this year.
The government of Bolivian President Evo Morales has backed the increased cultivation of crops for biofuel production, raising questions about whether the policy opened the way to increased burning.
WATCH: Firefighters tackle fires continuing to burn in devastated Amazon rainforest
Comments