President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told jubilant audiences at the COP27 climate meeting in Egypt, “Brazil is back on the world stage.”
“The Amazon has immense global significance. We must demonstrate that a living tree is more valuable than a dead one “he remarked.
He proposed holding the next COP in the Amazon.
Nations are gathering in Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss climate change mitigation.
Two weeks after his tight election victory, Mr. Lula is meeting with the leaders of the United States, China, and the European Union at a climate conference.
Under the administration of President Jair Bolsonaro, who will pass over office to Mr. Lula in January, Amazon deforestation reached historic levels.
Puyr Tembé, an indigenous chief from the largely deforested state of Pará, told that Mr. Bolsonaro abolished all legislation safeguarding the Amazon and assaulted environmentalists.
The incoming president, on the other hand, has stated that he will work to eliminate deforestation and restore the Amazon.
John Kerry, the U.S. envoy for climate change, expressed confidence on Tuesday that Mr. Lula would bring about a radical reversal in Brazil’s environmental policies.
Isabella Teixeira, former environment minister of Brazil, told that “the world” is now “embracing Brazil at COP27.
While Mr. Lula has been warmly welcomed at COP27, he faces a divided country at home, with considerable opposition in the Brazilian Congress making it potentially impossible for him to deliver on his pledges.
Ms. Teixeira stated that for Mr. Lula to make progress on his agenda, he would need to persuade the general public and members of Congress to agree with each other rather than disagree.
“Brazil today disagrees. But while we rebuild our democracy, we must abandon our climate change duties “She stated,
According to Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of Brazil’s Climate Observatory network, Mr. Lula must counteract Mr. Bolsonaro’s legacy by rebuilding the environmental protection agencies, unfreezing the Amazon Fund which supports conservation, and combating criminals in the Amazon.
He asserts that Brazil is back in the climate game, but civil society will not hesitate to criticize the new administration if it fails to uphold its commitments.
“We will support the administration when it is successful, but if it fails, we will criticize it.”
Roberto Waack, the chairman of the Arapya Institute and a business leader, argues that it will be difficult for Mr. Lula to fulfill his lofty promises.
“The global community must be prepared for errors and failures. Due to the political scenario in Brazil, this is a tough matter and we will experience setbacks “he stated.
“Simply stating stop deforestation’ would not solve the situation,” he stated.
Young Brazilian activists at COP27 met Mr. Lula on Tuesday. “Extremely emotional, I shed many tears. It is incredible to once again feel a part of Brazil “Gabrielle Alves, a Clima de Mudanca coalition member, and environmental racism researcher told me.
At COP27, nation-to-nation negotiations are ongoing, with a final deal expected on Friday or Saturday.
However, there are still significant differences between nations on crucial issues.
Who will foot the cost for permanent climate harm is a hotly contested topic, as developing nations want immediate funding to compensate for their losses.
However, affluent nations oppose any notion of compensation for those who have produced the majority of emissions.
There is also fear that the critical goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, which experts say is essential for averting the worst effects of climate change, is in threat.
