COP27: presidents of Colombia and Venezuela call for Amazon alliance

“If we, South Americans, have any responsibility, it is to stop the destruction of the Amazon and begin a coordinated, efficient, conscious recovery process,” said Nicolas Maduro, in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh, where the annual climate summit takes place. , during an event that was also attended by the president of Suriname, Chan Santokhi.

“We are determined to revitalize the Amazon jungle” to “give humanity an important victory in the fight against climate change”, declared Gustavo Petro, leader of Colombia, also during the COP.

Petro, promoter of the initiative for 8 countries that make up the Amazon region, also called for the involvement of the United States, since, on the continent, it is “the country that pollutes the most”. The superpower has, to the south, “the sponge that absorbs the most CO2 on the American continent”.

Regarding financing, he suggested “opening a fund” that should have “a budget” and also “contribution from global private companies and states around the world”.

The Colombian leader returned to promereceive US$200 million per year for 20 years for the conservation of the Amazon and launched an appeal for solidarity from multilateral organizations:

“One of the consensus themes that can unify us with Africa, with part of Asia, is the exchange of debt for climate action”, where the IMF “has a role to play”, together with the world’s large developed countries, he insisted. .

The Colombian president acknowledged the “problems” for this plan, represented by the large reserves of coal and hydrocarbons throughout the region, starting with Venezuela, but reiterated his firm speech of putting an end, in the long term, to the use of fossil fuels.

Latin American leaders in defense of the Amazon

Maduro and Petro were the only Latin American leaders present at this edition of COP27 with a distinctly African character. The initiative still needs to be officially presented to other presidents – including Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president-elect of Brazil – in a meeting that the Colombian leader wants to schedule for the beginning of 2023.

For Petro, Brazil's entry into the alliance, led by Lula, “is absolutely strategic”.

According to the organization Amazon Conservation, which monitors deforestation in the region, around 13% of the original Amazon biomass has disappeared.

With AFP