[ad_1]
The Austrian government responded on Thursday to correct US President Donald Trump’s claim that people in his country live in “forest cities.”
Trump recently pointed to Austria and other European countries as models of good forest management from which states in the United States like California, which have suffered devastating wildfires, should learn.
In a call Tuesday to Fox News, Trump said, “You see countries, Austria, you see so many countries. They live in the forest, they are considered forest cities. So many. And they don’t have fires like that. And they have more explosive trees ”.
In an article Thursday for the London-based newspaper Independent, the Austrian agriculture minister tried to correct that description.
“There have been both serious and humorous conversations on social media about the ‘exploding trees’ that (Trump) mentioned, as well as the fact that he claimed that we live in ‘forest cities’ that never catch fire,” wrote Elisabeth Koestinger. “As Austrians, fortunately blessed with a healthy sense of humor, we usually take these cliches about our country well.”
“However, the gravity of the current events makes Trump’s words all the more troubling. After all, at this very moment, thousands of people are fighting appalling forest fires in life-threatening situations, ”he added.
“In reality, Austria is a country located in the heart of Europe, where people do not live in the forest but with the forest and in a close and sustainable relationship with the natural environment,” wrote Koestinger.
Sustainable management of forests, which cover almost half the Austrian territory, is important, he added, but not because they are more flammable.
“To clarify: No, we do not have any exploding trees in Austria,” Koestinger said, although he did confirm Trump’s claim that “we have found a way to give our trees the space they need.”
“That does not make us ‘forest people’, but shows how important it is to understand our environment and our natural resources,” he said, adding that “taking climate change seriously and mitigating its effects is a huge part of this.” .
Trump caused a stir in Finland two years ago when he claimed that the Nordic country was spending “a lot of time raking and cleaning and doing things” to clear the forest floor and prevent fires.
[ad_2]
