In Belem, Brazil, eight South American countries have signed a declaration calling for international help to save the Amazon rainforest.
Amazon countries call for increased support from emitting nations to save the largest and most important rainforest in the world. At Belem, Brazil, members of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) signed a declaration on the matter.
The Amazon rainforest is the world’s most important biome. It ensures climate stabilization with over 76 billion tonnes of carbon stored within it and the release of 20 billion tonnes of water into the atmosphere per day. The Amazon rainforest hosts one of the largest biodiversity environments on the planet, whose balance is crucial for the global fauna.
The Amazon rainforest stretches an area twice the size of India across 8 different South American countries: Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Guyana, and Suriname. The French territory of French Guyana also hosts a share of the Amazon.
South American countries have often seen the Amazon as an opportunity for growth and industrialization. Over the last 50 years, between 13,2 and 20% of the Amazon has been deforested, with Brazil destroying almost 31% of its share.
Scientists have warned about the dangers of deforestation for decades. Many believe that between 20-25% of deforestation could trigger irreversible climate effects. Once a tipping point is reached, the water cycle will be irreversibly altered, causing up to half of the area to turn into a savannah.
The Belem Declaration
Faced with these challenges, the ACTO members signed a declaration in the Amazonian city of Belem. The declaration condemned trade barriers’ proliferation and called on industrialized nations to provide financial help.
The eight countries, however, did not agree on the basic principles of deforestation. While Brazil and Colombia committed to zero deforestation by 2030, the other countries did not.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was also confronted with his country’s contradictions. Lula’s tenure saw deforestation reduce by 42% in the country, the state-run Petrobras started oil exploration at the Amazon River mouth.
Nevertheless, Lula is determined to convince other ACTO nations to stop deforestation. The summit will continue in the following days with participation from Norway, Germany, and other rainforest countries like Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Brazil will bring the matter to the November Cop28 meeting too. "The Amazon is our passport to a new relationship with the world," Lula said, "a more symmetric relationship, in which our resources are not exploited to benefit few, but rather valued and put in the service of everyone."
