Presidents Maduro of Venezuela and Petro of Colombia speak at COP27 in Egypt. Photo: Presidential Press (Colombia).
Leaders of countries with Amazonian territory commit to reversing damage caused by the climate crisis.
This Tuesday, November 8, President Nicolás Maduro spoke in favor of Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s proposal to create a block for the protection of the Amazon rainforest.
Maduro expressed his support for the proposal during his speech at the High-Level Regional Dialogue on the Amazon as a pillar of Climate and Life Balance, an event held in parallel to the United Nations Conference on Climate Change 2022 (COP27) in Egypt.
“I want to congratulate President Gustavo Petro,” Maduro said, “for taking this initiative within the framework of this summit of 196 countries.”
Maduro proposed to Petro that the initiative be executed through the already existing Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO).
Los Países Amazónicos tenemos como primera acción recuperar la Organización del Tratado para la Cooperación Amazónica OTCA, con su legado, con su capacidad histórica de observar La Amazonía y sus propuestas de recuperación. Hay esperanza en Suramérica para lograrlo. pic.twitter.com/Z5zq4llK7w
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) November 8, 2022
“President Petro,” Maduro said, “we have the Amazon Cooperation Treaty, which has a legacy, an institutional framework. I think it should be the first action to recover the treaty with its legacy, with its historical capacity to observe the Amazon, and with its recovery proposals.”
For Maduro, these plans to recover the Amazonian territories are a ray of hope because “we will never join the ranks of pessimism or skepticism.”
Excelente Diálogo Regional de Alto Nivel “Amazonía como pilar de equilibrio climático y de la vida”, junto a los Presidentes Gustavo Petro de Colombia y Chan Santokhi de Surinam. Encuentro de luz y esperanza por el rescate de La Amazonía, tenemos la responsabilidad de protegerla. pic.twitter.com/09VCqh92lH
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) November 8, 2022
President Maduro also said that experts, scientists, and researchers from the United Nations point out that “the ravages caused by the production of greenhouse gases, pollution, and global warming threaten us and repeal the deadlines to be reversed.”
For this reason, he said, “if we South Americans have any responsibility, it is to stop the destruction of the Amazon rainforest and initiate a process of coordinated, efficient, active recovery of the Amazon, what they call regeneration of the Amazon.”
Arrival of Petro and Lula in South America
In his speech, President Maduro described the assumption of Petro as president in Colombia and the recent election of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil as good news for the region and especially for the recovery of the Amazon.
“We have good news in South America,” he said, “the arrival of you [Gustavo Petro] in South America and the arrival of Lula da Silva with the powerful Brazilian environmental movements.”
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“If there is one thing we can do truly, concretely, with a deep sense of commitment to humanity, it is our commitment to putting the regeneration of our Amazon on the presidential and social agenda of our countries,” he added, “Knowing the impact it has on the life of our continent and humanity.”
Petro agreed with Maduro to resume the Amazon Cooperation Treaty to develop the plan and considered Lula da Silva’s inauguration in Brazil as an encouraging step to promote it.
Similarly, he proposed that the leaders of countries with Amazonian territory meet at the beginning of 2023, with Lula already in office, “so that this effort becomes one of the great banners of humanity.”
Background
“We have enough strength to propose something positive to the world,” Petro said, “Here is a positive and fundamental fact. The American dialogue has to be established, and we have to open a financial fund to do it.”
“Revitalizing the Amazon forest involves money, it is not high annually, but it has to be permanent, though at least two decades of efforts if we want to revitalize the rainforest,” he added.
Petro explained that Colombia plans to contribute $200 million over the next 20 years to revitalize the rainforest.
“We hope that [the fund] can be expanded with contributions from the world,” he said.
The President of Colombia then commented that, although climate change cannot be avoided, the Amazonian leadership must be positioned as one of the main focuses of these international events.
“We have a territorial responsibility on a key issue,” he said.
He stated that any ecosystem is fundamental, “but there are four great climatic pillars: the Poles, the Taiga and the Tundra of northern Siberia and Canada, the Oceans, and the Amazon Rainforest.”
For Petro, “if we take the initiative to reverse the damage in these decades, we can give humanity a victory in terms of the fight against climate change.”
The US is the most polluting country in America
Petro spoke about the effects of pollution emitted by the United States on the continent. “If we look at it, America has the country that pollutes the most in terms of CO2 emissions, and to the south is the Amazon rainforest, the sponge that absorbs the most CO2 on the American continent.”
In order to implement the revitalization of the Amazon rainforest, Petro considered it necessary to establish talks on the subject with the United States.
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“It’s time for a dialogue. It is time for the United States, the main CO2 polluter, and South America, holder of one of the main CO2 sponges, to talk, to agree. Let’s build a road together.”
Suriname
Surinamese President Chan Santokhi also welcomed President Petro’s initiative and ratified his country’s willingness and commitment to recover and preserve the Amazon.
“We are happy with this initiative,” Santokhi said, “and we are going to support the decisions that must be taken to save the Amazon.”
He pointed out that the Amazonian territory in his country is partly affected and destroyed by the recent and unusual fires.
Santohki indicated that he is waiting to hear the experts’ evaluations and their expectations for the area.
The Amazon rainforest extends through Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana (France).
(Ultimas Noticias) by Aurig Hernández
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/FV/SF
