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from the fiddling-while-the-Amazon-burns dept.
Brazil Says It Will Reject Millions in Amazon Aid Pledged at G7
Hours after leaders of some of the world's wealthiest countries pledged more than $22 million to help combat fires in the Amazon rainforest, Brazil's government angrily rejected the offer, in effect telling the other nations to mind their own business — only to later lay out potential terms for the aid's acceptance.
President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil expressed his ire in a series of Twitter posts on Monday, and specifically criticized and taunted President Emmanuel Macron of France, who had announced the aid package at the Group of 7 summit meeting. Their comments extended a verbal feud between the two leaders.
But early the next day, Mr. Bolsonaro offered possible terms for the acceptance of the aid package when he spoke to reporters in the capital, Brasília.
He said that if Mr. Macron withdrew "insults made to my person," and what Mr. Bolsonaro interpreted as insinuations that Brazil does not have sovereignty over the Amazon, he would reconsider.
(Score: 5, Informative) by c0lo on Wednesday August 28 2019, @05:16AM (3 children)
Oh, wow. The G7 nations, with a combined GDP of over $33T, offers a help amounting to $500/amazon-burning-fire.
Great help, guys, really shows your magnanimous character and interest in "the lung of the planet".
I wonder what interest rate they have in mind?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 28 2019, @05:18AM
Objectifying the subjective are we? Disgusting.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 28 2019, @11:08AM
It's mostly about politics than actual help or the environment. For example Brazil's deforestation rate has been similar to Indonesia and higher than Malaysia ( https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ag.lnd.frst.zs?most_recent_value_desc=true [worldbank.org] ) but calls for soybean oil boycotts are far far lower than palm oil boycotts despite the fact that you'd need less deforestation per litre/ton of palm oil than for soybean oil[1] .
But of course they can't call for boycotts of soybean oil since their Boss across the Atlantic needs to sell lots of soybean oil and now can't sell as much to China due to some trade war that someone started...
[1] http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_yield.html [journeytoforever.org]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_biofuel_crop_yields [wikipedia.org]
If you want omega 3 then flaxseed is better than palm oil but see this though: https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/why-not-flaxseed-oil [harvard.edu]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 28 2019, @11:28AM
This is a political move of Macron and the west to pander their own citizens with a we're doing something for the environment.
40Million is laughable nothing, I mean to get $40
M at the G7 summit Macron probably asked:
"Hey, does anyone have some change left in his pocket?"
Others: "Yeah, I have some, me to."
Macron: "Alright, take the smallest coin from that change and lets throw it at Brazil"
Now, if they want to take a more serious approach, you can create/set in motion new Paris/Kyoto style accords that provide an economic incentive to keep forest/rainforest etc. around, and to try and revert deserts etc.
Also, you can try and roll back the extensive reduction in green/forests in Western Europe and the US. I think Brazil would happily donate $10M to convert Wall street back into a dense forest, or London, Paris, ...