French President Emmanuel Macron announced a new forest strategy, which will plant 1 billion trees by 2030, which is 10% of its forest area.
He also pledged €250 million to buy 16 Canadair amphibious aircraft by 2027, reports EURACTIV.
The article noted that during the summer of 2022, fires destroyed 72,000 hectares of forest, which is six times more than the average over the past ten years.
Macron explained that the new forest strategy is aimed at strengthening departmental and air resources. Thus, the annual budget of fire and rescue services will reach €150 million.
He thanked the firefighters, foresters, and representatives of the security forces who participated in the fight against forest fires in 2022.
In addition, the French president said that due to climate change, the coming summer "may not be as exceptional" as this year's.
Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that an abnormal heat wave in Europe, in some places over +40°C, and strong winds caused large-scale fires on the continent, because of which hundreds of people were evacuated.
As EcoPolitic previously reported, the global group of UN climate scientists confirmed that climate change is making the heat hotter and more frequent in most terrestrial regions of the world.
