Presidents of South American countries that share the amazon They have issued a challenge to the developed countries to make a greater effort to stop the enormous destruction of the largest tropical forest in the world, a challenge that they assure cannot be left to only a few when the crisis has been the responsibility of so many.
In the Brazilian city of Whitethe members of the Organization of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty (OTCA) They also tried to chart a common path on how to combat the climate changehoping that a united front will give them a greater voice in global negotiations.
The calls from presidents of nations such as Brazil, Colombia and Bolivia come at a time when their governments seek to promote a much-needed economic development in their regions while preventing the current deterioration of the Amazon from reaching the point of no return, according to a joint statement issued at the end of the session. Some scientists claim that once 20-25% of the rainforest is destroyed, rainfall would be drastically reduced, transforming more than half of the rainforest into tropical savannah, with immense loss of biodiversity.
“The tropical forest unites us. It is time to see the heart of our continent and consolidate, once and for all, our Amazonian identity,” said the president of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. “In an international system that we did not build, we have historically been relegated to a subservient place as suppliers of raw materials. A simple ecological transition will allow us to change this.”
The two-day summit that ends on Wednesday reinforces Lula’s strategy of taking advantage of global concern for the preservation of the Amazon. Emboldened by the 42% reduction in deforestation during his first seven months in office, Lula has tried to obtain international financial support for the protection of forested areas.