LVMH donates 10 million euros to fight Amazon wildfires, Brazil rejects G7 aid

LVMH has pledged 10 million euros (9.1 million pounds) to help efforts to fight ongoing wildfires in the Amazon, but donations have since been rejected by the Brazilian government.

LVMH’s announcement was made in a joint statement on the French luxury brand’s website by chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault (pictured) and member of the LVMH board of directors Yann Arthus-Bertrand.

Arthus-Bertrand said: “Protecting the environment is not just about words and speeches or signing declarations of principle, it also requires taking concrete collective actions when dangers arise in order to provide resources for local specialists and work together to save our planet. I am proud that LVMH is participating in this emergency effort and I hope that many others will follow suit.”

LVMH joins President Macron and other G7 leaders who announced on Monday they would be donating an immediate 20 million dollars (18 million euros or 16 million pounds) to help Amazon countries fight wildfires that are burning at record rates. As part of the efforts, G7 leaders said they would also launch a long-term initiative to protect the rainforest.

Since then, however, Brazil has said it will reject the aid.

”We appreciate the resources but maybe those resources are more relevant to reforest Europe," chief of staff to President Jair Bolsonaro, Onyx Lorenzoni, told the G1 news website. He added, referring to the burning of Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral in April: "Macron can’t even avoid a foreseeable fire in a church that is a world heritage site," he added, referring to the fire in April that devastated the Notre-Dame cathedral. "What does he intend to teach our country?”

In the aftermath of the Notre-Dame fire, LVMH pledged to donate 200 million euros (181 million pounds) to help rebuild it.

Photo credit: Bernard Arnault / AFP - Francois Guillot