US President Donald Trump skipped out on a crucial meeting between global leaders on climate change and the Amazon fires, on Monday. According to reports, the president’s chair was empty, though representatives from his team were present.
The G-7 Summit's session on Climate, Biodiversity and Oceans was attended by all the other world leaders who were invited.
Earlier, senior aides from the Trump administration had accused the G7’s organisers of using the event to ‘embarrass’ Trump on account of its emphasis on "niche issues" like climate change — an issue the president has had many disagreements about vis-a-vis the international community.
President Trump's empty chair at the session on Climate, Biodiversity and Oceans | Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron — who is the host of this year’s summit — downplayed Trump’s absence, telling reporters that the US was aligned with the rest of the G7 on climate change and on the Amazon fires. He said at a news conference, “He wasn't in the room, but his team was”, adding later that though there was a lot of tension at the summit, a message of unity had come out of the talks.
Macron also acknowledged Trump’s 2017 decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord, saying, “When it comes to the Paris Agreement, we know his position, it has always been clear, and it is not an objective of the French presidency to convince him otherwise.”
At last year’s G-7 meeting in Canada, Trump arrived late and left early, refusing to sign a joint economic statement after expressing his disapproval of a Canadian statement against tariffs then being imposed by the United States.
This year, Macron invited world leaders from non-G7 countries, with India, Australia, Spain, Chile, South Africa, Senegal, Egypt, Iran and Rwanda in attendance.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the discussion to highlight “India’s large scale efforts towards eliminating single use plastic, conserving water, harnessing solar energy and, protecting flora and fauna for a sustainable future”.
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The G-7 nations pledged $20 million towards combatting the Amazon fires, with hopes that greater attention would be paid to the crisis in the future. Macron said, "We will straightaway offer Amazonian countries that signal to us their needs, financial support of at least up to 20 million Euros ($22 million)".
He said that the plan to tackle the Amazon fires would be a two-step one, with the first comprising helping countries that needed fire fighters and water bombers, and the second concernign protecting the forests, biodiversity and helping reforest the region.
