(Brasilia) Brazil intends to use the “weapons of diplomacy” at the COP26, which opens Sunday in Glasgow, to defend its interests in the Amazon and negotiate “so that the country is compensated” in its fight against deforestation, said its vice president, General Hamilton Mourao.
“The Amazon represents around 50% of Brazilian territory. If we have to keep 80% of it intact, not only because of our own legislation but also to cooperate with the rest of the world to prevent this drastic climate change… We are still talking about preserving 10 Germany, ”M said on Monday. Mourao to the press.
Brazil “should be compensated for doing this work on behalf of the rest of humanity, there must be a negotiation […] dispassionate, respectful and using the weapons of diplomacy, ”he said.
The Brazilian government estimates at between 30 and 40 billion dollars its contribution since 2006 to the fight against the deforestation of the Amazon, of which 60% is in fact on its territory.
Mr. Mourao, a 68-year-old army general, believes that Brazil, the world’s largest exporter of beef – much of which is produced in the Amazon – must defend its right to develop its economy.
“Our government is on the right and the left being the majority in many countries of the world, this creates a political conflict,” he said.
Green growth program
A few days before the opening of COP26, the government on Monday launched a “green growth” program to promote “sustainable initiatives”, without detailing the terms and investments.
It aims “to reduce carbon emissions, preserve the forest and the rational use of natural resources with the creation of sustainable jobs”, explained the Minister of the Environment, Joaquim Leite.
“How can the country which pollutes the least, which has the largest reserve for the preservation of natural resources, be the country most attacked at the international level? It is obvious that there are political and commercial interests behind ”, commented the Minister of the Economy Paulo Guedes.
Brazil is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
According to Mourao, who will not be in Glasgow, the country is expected to announce that it will reduce its initial commitment to end illegal deforestation by 2030 from two to three years.
Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who defends the authorization of mining and agricultural activities in protected areas and indigenous territories in the Amazon, is widely criticized for his environmental policies, with deforestation having increased sharply since the start of his mandate , in January 2019.