澳门六合彩

Luiz In谩cio Lula da Silva鈥檚 victory in Brazil鈥檚 presidential election on October 30, 2022鈥攁nd his appearance at the COP27 summit on November 16鈥攈ave put protecting the Amazon basin back on the agenda. Speaking at听, Iv谩n Duque Marquez, Former President of the Republic of Colombia and a Distinguished Fellow at the Center, highlighted why it was vital to counter the threat to this magnificent biome: 鈥淭he Amazon is the most biodiverse area in the planet. The Amazon River discharges in one hour the same amount of fresh water that is consumed in a year by 7000 million people; and, at the same time, the Amazon in terms of size is twice the size of the EU and is larger than the United States without Alaska.鈥�

The discussion examined what role the private sector should play in this vital effort. 鈥淚鈥檓 a believer in the idea that smart, sustainable development and conservation in the Amazon region can coexist,鈥� said Ambassador Mark Green, President, Director and CEO of 澳门六合彩. 鈥淭hey have to.鈥�

Tipping Point for the Amazon听

Ambassador Green sees the situation as extremely serious鈥攁nd close to tipping point. 鈥淭he region has lost almost 15 percent of its forest cover,鈥� he observes. 鈥淪ome believe that if more than 20 percent of the forest cover is lost, it鈥檚 likely to go through a savannahization process, and quite frankly, that could lead to sweeping extinctions, the disruption of food production, and the release of what some call a carbon bomb,鈥� said Ambassador Mark Green.

Event moderator and Wilson Fellow Raoni Raj茫o, Associate Professor of Environmental Management and Social Studies of Science at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, added that 鈥渆ven if we are able to [reach] zero deforestation鈥f we have a significant increase in global temperatures, the Amazon is still going through a savannahization process.鈥� He also noted that the picture in Brazil is particularly harrowing. Seventeen percent of its forest has already been cleared, and for each deforested hectare, another hectare is degraded by either fire or logging, so 鈥渢he actual damage is much higher.鈥�

The absolute tipping point for the Amazon in just eight years鈥� time. 鈥淒eforestation has been increasing steadily since 2012,鈥� Raj茫o continued, 鈥渂ut it has really jumped in the last four years under the Bolsonaro administration, nearly doubling. And if we keep with the current speed of deforestation, we might reach 2030 already with 20 percent of forest loss.鈥�

Roles for the Private Sector?

Those doing business in the region are grappling with how to do so in a sustainable way. Natura & Co is the largest cosmetic company in Latin America, and the fourth-biggest in the world, and Paulo Dallari, the company鈥檚 Government Affairs Director in the region, said that it is impossible to preserve the Amazon without generating local income to the area. 鈥淥ne of the proposals we have been sponsoring together with other allies is a mechanism to share profits that are obtained from reselling carbon credits with the regional producers,鈥� he said. This activity allows traditional communities, indigenous communities and quilombolas that produce carbon credits to receive a percentage of resale value 鈥渁s a way to incentivize and to share the outcome and profit.鈥�

The company鈥檚 efforts in the region are broad. 鈥淣atura is currently working with over forty communities that represent about 8000 families in four countries of the Amazon region: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru,鈥� said Dallari. The native species that are used in Natura鈥檚 products are produced by these local communities and he observed that 鈥渂y sustainably producing these materials, they bring a preservation of about two million hectares.鈥� Dallari added that Natura鈥檚 plan for 2030 is to increase this number to three million hectares.

Renata Nogueira, South America Sustainability Lead, from Cargill, a global food corporation, said that her company is also focused on preservation. She noted that Cargill has 鈥渟tarted a new program to plant trees, aiming to restore a hundred thousand hectares in the next five years.鈥� She also highlighted Cargill鈥檚 2006 adoption of the Soy Agreement, a sectoral pact that guarantees the non-commercialization of soy from deforested areas. Brazil鈥檚 Forest Code requires producers to preserve up to 80 percent of their land and Nogueira observed that 鈥渂y being in compliance with this, the signing companies develop procedures and tools鈥o exclude non-conforming products.鈥�

Legislation is Imperative and Money is Paramount

A private sector that adheres to environmental standards is not enough. A government that writes and enforces the relevant laws is also essential. However, 鈥淪ometimes it鈥檚 difficult for members of Congress to get behind issues because they might not really be in their political self-interest or seen as interest to their constituency,鈥� commented Susan Lylis, Executive Vice President of the International Conservation Caucus Foundation (ICCF). 鈥淲hen legislation is introduced by a ruling party, it鈥檚 seen as a party issue, not for its intrinsic value, and because it鈥檚 seen as a party issue, other parties may not get behind it.鈥�

Lylis added that a crucial way forward is to work on a strictly bipartisan basis, and she says that positive steps have been taken in Brazil to address this: 鈥淭he ICCF in Brazil is helping to make this cross-party engagement a regular process by bringing together parliamentarians from multiple parties who have expressed an interest in becoming more engaged in the environmental issues that are important for the country and for their constituents.鈥�

However, one much-needed asset is currently in short supply: money. Congressman Jos茅 (Z茅) Silva of Brazil observed that when Lula enters Planalto in January, he will be met with the lowest budget since 2014. 鈥淭he greatest challenge is going to be financial because in the initial diagnosis of the budget for next year, we saw that we鈥檙e going to have scarce resources,鈥� he stated.

There are mechanisms that can be activated that will render this penury a little less dire. Silva noted that The Amazon Fund will be remobilized after having been frozen during the Bolsonaro administration. In addition, agencies such as Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renov谩veis (IBAMA) and Instituto Tecnol贸gico de Avalia莽茫o e Certifica莽茫o da Conformidade (ITAC), which take care of technical assistance, 鈥渨ould be effectively restored by the new administration.鈥� The extent of their success, though, will be partly dependent upon resources.

Garnering the resources is not the whole financial problem either though. Demonstrating that the preservation of the biome makes sense financially will be part of the battle. 鈥淭he challenge will be huge in terms of raising awareness about the environmental issues not being stand-alone, but also the preservation of the economy,鈥� said Silva.

Generating Enthusiasm

Regional engagement is also essential, especially since the Amazon biome spans nine countries. Duque observed that this is why instruments such as the Leticia Pact, signed by most countries in the region, are vital and should be followed vigorously. 鈥淚f we continue implementing the Leticia Pact,鈥� he stated, 鈥渋f we bring more enthusiasm and more policy determination in Brazil, not only at the national but at the local level, for sure we will be able to put that goal [zero deforestation by 2030] and try to reach it.鈥�

Bringing regional efforts into line with national efforts in countries like Brazil is essential. Silva noted that there have been a few positive bills enacted by the lower chamber, and added that despite present challenges, 鈥渨e have a hopeful future ahead of us.鈥�