Lula da Silva Asks Developed Countries to Provide Financial Support to the Amazon
Brazilian President Lula da Silva observes drought in an Amazon river, Sept. 2024. X/ @radio_pueblos
September 11, 2024 Hour: 11:08 am
Fires have burned 6,718,025 hectares of the Brazilian Amazon since the beginning of the year.
On Wednesday, Brazilian President Lula da Silva called on wealthy countries to permanently fund the protection of the Amazon, at a time when this ecosystem is facing a devastating wave of forest fires.
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“The situation is very serious,” Lula warned, after traveling to the state of Amazonas to witness firsthand the effects of the extreme drought also affecting the world’s largest tropical rainforest.
The drought, which was already intense in 2023, has brought several Amazon rivers to historic lows, disrupted the transport of medicine and food, and isolated dozens of rural communities, in addition to fueling the spread of the fires.
Lula urged the world to take advantage of this moment so that “Europeans and the developed world” realize that Brazil and other Amazonian countries “need to receive funding to care for the people living there.”
“Beneath every tree canopy, there is a person living,” he said, emphasizing the need to understand “the preservation of the forest as a way of life.” Lula called for “responsible action” because “we are destroying the world we live in.”
Lula reminded listeners that he will soon send an initiative to Congress to establish the Legal Framework for Climate Emergencies, aimed at “creating and accelerating” public policies to address extreme events. This plan also includes creating a “climate authority,” along with a scientific committee.
The progressive leader also advocated for training young people who join the military to fight against climate disasters. Fires have burned 6,718,025 hectares of the Brazilian Amazon since the beginning of the year, which represents 1.6 percent of the biome.
In total, the Brazilian Amazon recorded 63,189 fire outbreaks between January and August this year, double the number recorded in the same period in 2023. The Brazilian government suspects that the vast majority of these were caused by human activity.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
