Belém (Union)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called on Amazon nations to take urgent joint action to stop the destruction of the planet’s largest rainforest, during a summit in Belém.
In his inaugural address, along with other South American heads of state, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stressed that combating deforestation is essential to dealing with the “severe worsening of climate change.” The summit opened in conjunction with the announcement by the European Copernicus Observatory that July 2023 broke the record for the hottest month ever in the world, by 0.33 degrees Celsius from July 2019.
Having previously described the summit as a “turning point”, Lula said, “The resumption and expansion of our cooperation is more urgent than ever, and we must promote a new vision of sustainable and comprehensive development in the region, by combining environmental preservation and job creation.” The summit, which lasts until Wednesday, brings together representatives of the eight member states of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, which was set up in 1995 to protect this vast region that includes about 10 percent of the planet’s biodiversity. The Brazilian president sat alongside his counterparts in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, while Ecuador, Suriname and Guyana were represented by ministers.
As for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, his deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, attended on his behalf, after he announced on his account on the “X” platform that he was suffering from an ear infection.
The coastal city of Belém, with a population of 1.3 million, will host the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) in 2025.
“We cannot allow the Amazon to reach the point of no return,” said Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva in Belém.
And if the point of no return is reached, the Amazon forest, known as the “lungs of the world”, will emit more carbon than it absorbs, which will exacerbate the phenomenon of global warming.
In turn, the Secretary-General of the Organization for Cooperation in the Amazon Region, Alexandra Moreira, announced yesterday that the summit will issue a joint declaration that includes “bold and strong measures” to protect the rainforests.
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