“We cannot accept green neo-colonialism that, under the pretext of protecting the environment, imposes trade barriers and discriminatory measures, disrespecting regulatory frameworks and national policies,” said Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on the second day of the Amazon summit, in the city of Belém.
In recent months, the Brazilian head of state has been very critical of the environmental requirements set by the European Union (EU) for the trade agreement concluded in 2019 with Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay).
These new green guarantees, which European countries want to include and which Lula da Silva describes as threats, have once again paralyzed the ratification process of the agreement, which was negotiated almost a quarter of a century ago.
In a new critique of countries classified as developed, Lula da Silva noted that countries with tropical forests, such as the Amazon, “have inherited from the colonial past a predatory economic model” based “on the irrational exploitation of natural resources, on slavery and systematic exclusion of the local population”.
“The effects are being felt by our countries even today,” he declared at the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) summit, now extended to include countries such as the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia, which have large areas of tropical bunch.
In this sense, Lula da Silva stressed that “one cannot talk about tropical forests and climate change without addressing the historical responsibility of developed countries”.
“It was they who over the centuries squandered the most natural resources and polluted the planet the most. The richest 10% of the world’s population concentrate more than 75% of the wealth and emit almost half of all carbon released into the atmosphere said the Brazilian head of state.
“There will be no sustainability without justice. Nor will there be sustainability without peace,” he concluded.
On Tuesday, leaders and ministers from eight Amazon countries signed a statement outlining plans to boost economic development in their countries while preventing the Amazon’s disappearance from “reaching a point of no return”.
Some scientists say that if 20% to 25% of the forest is destroyed, rainfall will decrease dramatically, turning more than half of the rainforest into tropical savannah, with an immense loss of biodiversity.
The eight countries – Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela – are ACTO members and have expressed hope that a united front will give them an important voice on the global environment ahead of the climate conference (COP28) . in November.
Several environmental groups expressed frustration with Tuesday’s joint statement, saying it was largely a collection of good intentions with few concrete goals and deadlines. However, the largest indigenous organization in the region praised the inclusion of two of its main claims.
The summit reinforces Lula da Silva’s strategy to leverage the global concern for Amazon conservation. Encouraged by a 42% drop in deforestation during his first seven months in office, Brazil’s president has sought international funding to protect the forest.
The Amazon extends over an area twice the size of India. Two-thirds are in Brazil, while seven other countries and the territory of French Guiana share the remaining third.
All Amazonian countries have ratified the Paris climate agreement, which requires signatories to set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Source: DN
