In Gironde, Elisabeth Borne announces a “reinforcement of resources” in the face of forest fires, “linked to climate change”

“The whole government is mobilized” against forest fires, said the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, during her trip to Gironde, Thursday, August 11. Accompanied by the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, the Prime Minister went to Hostens to see the efforts of firefighters against the fire which has already ravaged more than 6,800 hectares of vegetation. Firefighters continue their fight against a resumption of fire from the gigantic Landiras fire, which had burned 14,000 hectares in July.

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“We are in a hurry today, but I can assure you that we are strengthening our means, said M.^me Terminal in front of journalists. We want to act on all fronts, to fight even better in the future and prepare for events which we know very well are linked to climate change, with this heat wave that we have been experiencing in our country for several weeks, with this exceptional drought this year. »

“We must continue more than ever to fight against climate change and that we also continue, within the framework of ecological planning (…)to adapt to this climate change”continued the Prime Minister, who recalled thata new national climate change adaptation plan must be discussed at the start of the school year. This is, she pointed out, “preparing for the future”.

M^me Borne also assured that it was necessary “act first to replant the forest”. “The President of the Republic had announced a national replanting project, naturally we are working on it. The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry is mobilized on this issue,” she pointed out.

Strengthening of civil security

In the shorter term, beyond the emergency measures – such as having increased the number of water bomber helicopters available from two to nine, and eleven at the end of the week – the Prime Minister has said she wants “continue to work on strengthening the means of civil security”. “This will be the case in particular in the programming law that the Minister of the Interior will present at the start of the school year, with a plan for the five-year period”, she clarified, “naturally linked to local communities”who are at the forefront of the fight against fires.

The tenant of Matignon greeted the passage of “local elected officials very committed to this fight against the fire”. In the last hours of the discussion of the amending finance bill, at the beginning of August, the parliamentarians also adopted the release of 5 million euros for the financing of reinforcements of firefighters in the departments confronted with fires. forest. Nearby Worldthe President of the Assembly of the Departments of France, François Sauvadet, considered that, due to the “new risks” what does the multiplication of fires represent, “the operation of the departmental fire and rescue services [était] to review “.

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