The absence of a ‘zero deforestation’ target and the lack of in-depth discussions regarding oil exploration in the region account for below-expectation results of the “Amazon Summit” according to specialists in environmental issues and the civil society. The “Declaration of Belém” – a document originated from the meeting of eight South American countries representatives – is composed of 113 paragraphs that deal with topics such as science, innovation, water resource management, climate change, forests protection, indigenous peoples and the fight against environmental crimes. The “Amazon Summit” took place on Tuesday the 8th and Wednesday the 9th at the Hangar Convention Center in Belém.
"Negotiation is always a mediated process, by which no one can impose their will on the other. So, consensuses follow progressively. Whenever compatibilities are reached, we put them in the document", said the Minister of the Environment of Brazil, Marina Silva, in an interview with the official channel of the federal government.
For the executive coordinator of the Tapajós Arapiuns Indigenous Council, Auri Arapiuns, it was important that the event took place in Pará, a state with high deforestation rates and where indigenous people face death threats. Despite the symbolism, she regrets the differences between the presidents of the eight countries. "It strikes us as odd... if we are going to discuss ways to control the climate crisis, it is necessary that all presidents commit to zero deforestation and protect people and territories. We also had the perspective that the Brazilian government would announce new demarcations of indigenous lands. When we found out that this action was cancelled, we were frustrated. But it's good that we came to Belém to demand, participate and demonstrate. It was worth it, because a discussion about us is not possible without us. We are responsible for protecting the environment and for the appreciation of traditional knowledge. But we keep on fighting and with hope", she says.
For Professor Ivan Silva, from the Federal University of Amapá, one of the prominence points was the statement by the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, demanding that the richest countries guarantee financial compensation to the poorest countries, which bear the worst burdens of emissions from the Global North. "From the national point of view, this government has shifted its main focus of concern, which used to be the Northeast region in the first Worker’s Party [PT] government. The Amazon was in the background at that time, but now it is the cue ball. There was a widespread mentality of “anything goes” in the Jair Bolsonaro government, which allowed the consolidation of parallel powers related to illegal mining and land grabbing in the Amazon regions and this increased the need to delve deeper into the debates on the region. From a political point of view, things are never black on white. We have advanced a lot, despite these gaps. So, the future perspective is positive", says the professor, who is also the vice-coordinator of the Laboratório de Estudos Geopolíticos da Amazônia Legal [Laboratory of Geopolitical Studies of the Legal Amazon].
Ima Vieira, researcher from the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, argues that the most important thing is that countries manage to walk together to achieve common goals. With countries closer together by means of the revival of OTCA: Organização do Tratado de Cooperação Amazônica [Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization - ACTO], Ima believes it is time to project the future. "An important aspect that should be strengthened is a joint science and technology program between countries. This could accelerate knowledge production about biodiversity and ecological processes in forests – the necessary scientific basis both for bioeconomy programs and for analyzing climate change impacts ", says the researcher.
Amazon agreement is criticized by the international press
In the international press, the repercussion of the “Amazon Summit” was high, with emphasis on the frustrated objective of reaching an agreement for a goal of zero deforestation, as well as on the absence of the term “fossil fuels” in the final document of the meeting. “The New York Times”, from the United States, published on its website that the agreement projected a significant symbolic unity between the countries of the region, but fell short of the greatest ambitions that Lula hoped to achieve, especially after he made the environmental agenda a central part of the third term for which he was elected.
"During the months prior to the 'Amazon Summit', Lula exerted pressure on the leaders of Bolivia and Venezuela in order to sign a commitment targeting the end deforestation in their countries by 2030 – a commitment that the other six countries in the Amazon basin had already assumed. at COP 26, in Glasgow (Scotland), in 2021. The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who has adopted the most progressive policies in the region in terms of conservation, pressured Lula to commit to banning all oil drilling in the Amazon rainforest, but Brazil still has plans for a huge project at the mouth of the Amazon River", addressed the newspaper.
Also, in the United States, the website of the newspaper “Los Angeles Times” stated that despite not fulfilling the expectations, the meeting was important, since "cross-border cooperation in the Amazon has historically been scarce, hampered by little trust, by ideological differences and due to the lack of federal government presence. Growing environmental awareness and widespread recognition of the Amazon's importance in halting climate change have reinvigorated the incentive for a paradigm shift". The newspaper also highlighted Lula's idea of creating the Centro de Cooperação Policial Internacional da Amazônia [Center for International Police Cooperation in the Amazon], in the city of Manaus, in the state of Amazonas.
For the Spanish newspaper “El País”, the meeting may be considered “political”, but it is vital for the existence of humanity. The journal says that it was a good opportunity for Brazil to show the world that it is concerned with forest conservation and that it has the capacity to gather leaders around the agenda. "(The Summit) comes after years of climate change denial and deforestation acceleration (during the government of) former President Jair Bolsonaro", highlighted “El País”.
DISAPPOINTMENT
In Europe, likewise, the German newspaper “Deutsche Welle” highlighted the general atmosphere of disappointment among specialists in the environmental field. The newspaper remarked that after 14 years of silence, the countries in the region recognized the urgency of working together to protect the Amazon, but did not set joint goals or deadlines to end deforestation.
"While the host Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva demanded at the summit that rich countries take responsibility for financing the sustainable development of the region, the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, criticized the expansion of oil activities, pointed out by scientists as one of the main causes of the climate crisis. In his speech, at the opening of the event, Petro says he sees an 'enormous ethical conflict', especially by 'progressive forces', who should listen to science. The Colombian's message seemed to be a ‘hint’ to Lula's government, which considers bringing forward the plans to extract oil from the mouth of the Amazon river", published the newspaper.
The Reuters news agency, on the other hand, was categorical in stating that the meeting failed in the purpose of building zero deforestation goals. According to the essay, the “Declaration of Belém” corroborates the view of “many scientists who claim that as decision-makers politicians are acting too slowly to avoid catastrophic global warming”. The newspaper also highlighted that the “Amazon Summit” did not set a deadline for ending illegal gold mining, although leaders agreed to cooperate on this problem and to improve the cross-border combat of environmental crimes. Finally, the Colombian newspaper “El Tiempo” highlighted President Gustavo Petro's proposal to create an international court whose main commitment would be to judge environmental crimes against the Amazon. (E.L.)
NGOs claim prompt actions to solve the climate crisis
Dozens of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) closely followed the schedule of the “Amazon Summit”. For the Director of Programs at Greenpeace Brazil, Leandro Ramos, the “Declaration of Belém” does not bring clear actions to respond to the urgency of the crises that the world has been facing. “Without these measures, the Amazonian countries will not be able to change the current predatory relationship with the forest, impacting its biodiversity and its peoples. And the worst thing is that the commitments assumed in the declaration do not give a clear indication of how the Amazonian governments intend to act together to respond to the climate crisis, which is already a reality for the Amazonian population, especially for those who live on the outskirts of cities in the region”.
Executive director of The Nature Conservancy Brasil, Frineia Rezende analyzes that the “Declaration of Belém” does not present effective commitments. According to her, although there are items related to renewable energies, there are no clear goals and deadlines for a fair and equitable transition.
"The commitment to decarbonization, an idea defended by Colombia, is not explicit either. On the positive side, is the effort given to not going backwards and for the creation of the Painel Intergovernamental Técnico-Científico da Amazônia [Intergovernmental Technical-Scientific Panel for the Amazon], within the ambit of ACTO. However, it failed to mention the commitment to maintain global warming at 1.5°C. The document recognizes the need to accelerate climate adaptation processes, such as, for example, cooperation in risk and disaster management, particularly in coping with floods, intense droughts and forest fires, to face the climate emergency. The references to indigenous rights and traditional peoples are positive, but it is still necessary to guarantee the promise of inclusion", she argues.
CRITICISM
The executive secretary of “Observatório do Clima” [Climate Observatory], Marcio Astrini, states that "the 'Declaration of Belém' is a very initial agreement. A first step, but which still does not offer any concrete response to the world we are living in. The planet is melting, we are breaking temperature records every day. It is not possible that, in a scenario like this, eight Amazonian countries cannot put in a statement, in bold letters, that deforestation needs to be zero and that exploring oil in the middle of the forest is not a good idea. In short, the document failed due to lack of forcefulness. It is a wish list, and wishes are not enough."
"There are still many unanswered questions. But something became clear at the 'Amazon Summit': there is no more time to lose nor agendas to be postponed. Anything less than immediate and transformative action will leave us with no standing forest, threatening global health and the communities that depend on it," said Rachel Biderman, senior vice president of “Conservação Internacional”.
PATH
“The summit gave us great hope that the Amazonian countries are getting closer, aiming at a better path for the forest and its inhabitants, fostering a global movement for a more sustainable economy. The ‘Declaration of Belém’ is an important first step. Now, the Amazonian countries need to put these ideas into practice – creating a plan with specific actions, public policies and time frames. And a strategy for attracting the necessary investments to make this plan a reality. A new and stronger economy for the Amazonian countries is not only possible, but vital to improve the living conditions of their inhabitants and protect the forest, benefiting all humanity", says Adriana Lobo, from the World Resource Institute. (E.L.)
