In an unprecedented meeting to address the crucial challenges facing the Amazon, the IV Summit of the presidents that make up the Amazon biome began this Tuesday, August 8, in the Brazilian city of Belém. The leaders of eight countries in the region met to discuss joint proposals aimed at guaranteeing the survival of the largest tropical forest on the planet, threatened by deforestation, illegal mining and drug trafficking.
The Amazon Summit began. The leaders of eight nations in the region meet in an unprecedented two-day summit in Brazil.
The host president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva opened the meeting, remarking that it is a “historic” event, focusing his hopes on the proposals and measures that may result from this meeting and after highlighting the urgency of cooperation in the face of the climate crisis.
“I am convinced that the history of the Amazon will be measured from this meeting. That there will be a before and after,” Lula said in his speech, statements that he insisted on through his social networks.
O Brazil and the other Amazonian countries are making history. We are going to help develop our region in a sustainable way. The Amazon shelters thousands of people, including indigenous peoples, ribeirinhos and traditional communities. Our government is committed to the preservation… pic.twitter.com/gf90SUfAVE
– Lula (@LulaOficial) August 8, 2023
The summit brings together figures such as the presidents of Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, as well as the Prime Minister of Guyana and representatives of Ecuador and Suriname.
However, the absence of Nicolás Maduro, president of Venezuela, was due to a medical issue, but the vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, attended in his place. Topics on the agenda range from the fight against deforestation to cooperation in monitoring environmental crimes.
For her part, María Alexandra Moreira, the leader of the Organization of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty (OTCA), made an urgent call at the Amazon Summit to take decisive action against deforestation and to implement policies that improve the lives of people living in the region. Also, he highlighted the importance of understanding the Amazon as a complex place that faces various threats that put its integrity at risk.
An “Amazonian NATO” and a court, Petro’s proposals to defend the region
One of the most notable interventions was that of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who pointed out the need to take urgent measures to curb global warming, with concretely targeted actions in the Amazon.
In this sense, the president proposed the creation of an international tribunal to judge crimes in the region and the idea of establishing a “NATO”-style organization. An approach that aims to protect the biome with all the necessary resources.
“If the engine of the Amazon is increasingly illegal and represents a crime against humanity, how do we defend life? With reasons, but also with weapons,” said Petro, referring to the tools to defend the so-called lung of the planet .
In addition, the Colombian president once again put on the table the option of curbing the use of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas, despite the criticism received by some progressive rulers who defend this type of project, given the possible effects on economic matter.
“Is it possible to maintain a political line of that level? Bet on death and destroy life? Or should we propose something different, which is what I call a decarbonized society?” Petro questioned.
This summit not only brings together the countries covered by the Amazon, but also included some invited nations with large areas of tropical rainforest, such as Indonesia, the Republic of the Congo, the Grenadines, France, Germany and Norway.
The threats facing the lungs of the planet
The Amazon, which covers an area twice the size of India, is crucial to the global climate balance. However, massive deforestation and organized crime is endangering their survival.
The Belém Declaration, the final communiqué expected from this summit, seeks to establish collaborative strategies to combat deforestation and finance sustainable development.
The Amazon region faces immense challenges. In addition to being home to nearly 50 million people, it is home to an astonishing diversity of life, including 400 billion trees and 20% of the world’s freshwater resources. However, decades of irresponsible ranching, mining, and agriculture have led to forest degradation and loss of biodiversity.
The Amazon biome lost more than 85,000 km2, or around 13% of its original area, according to the Andean Amazon Pact. And carbon emissions from the Amazon increased 117% in 2020 compared to the annual average from 2010 to 2018, according to the latest figures from researchers at Brazil’s national space agency.
Cattle raising and soybean cultivation increased dramatically thanks to new technologies, roads and the global demand for grains and meat. The raising of some 27 million head of cattle -the main emitter of greenhouse gases-, among the Brazilian states, directly affected the terrain of the tropical forest.
There is also organized crime, which has taken over vast areas, cutting down wood and financing illegal activities such as gold mining.
The summit seeks to strengthen police cooperation between nations to deal with this growing problem. In addition, large hydroelectric dams, especially in Brazil, oil drilling, contaminate water and cause disruption to indigenous ways of life, experts point out.
Indigenous voices continue in the fight to safeguard the largest tropical forest on the planet
In the run-up to the summit, a hundred indigenous activists gathered in Belém to demand greater government support and protection of the rainforest. The killings of environmental defenders underscore the dangerous fight they face. Activists sought a commitment to protect 80% of the Amazon by 2025.
As the leaders met, the voices of communities and rights groups resounded strongly in the search for effective solutions. Prior to the summit, more than 50 environmental groups issued a strong call to the region’s governments to adopt a plan that would prevent the Amazon from crossing “a point of no return.”
The petition, published by the Climate Observatory, urged countries to join Brazil’s commitment to eliminate illegal deforestation by 2030, strengthen indigenous rights and take strong action against environmental crimes.
The IV Summit of Amazon Presidents promises to be a turning point in efforts to preserve this invaluable natural heritage and ensure a sustainable future for future generations.
With EFE, AP and local media
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