Newly-elected Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva pledged to address the rampant deforestation of the Amazon as he spoke at the climate summit, marking his first international trip after defeating rival Jair Bolsonaro.
Lula da Silva's speech came after other world leaders had already departed the United Nations climate talks in Egypt. Addressing the summit's attendees, the Brazilian president expressed his main message of his country leaving its cocoon where it has been stuck for the past four years under the leadership of the former president.
Brazil's Climate Change Pledge
An ecologist and professor at the University of Brasilia, Mercedes Bustamante, said that Lula da Silva being the Brazilian president was a huge relief. She noted that under Bolsonaro, the situation was a disaster, as the climate agenda was completely paralyzed.
Lula da Silva's appearance at the summit also comes as negotiators for nearly every country in the world attempted to iron out a deal on the implementation of pledges that many have made in order to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are dangerously warming our planet, as per the New York Times.
In a speech on Wednesday, Lula da Silva said that being invited to the summit before his inauguration was an acknowledgment that the world wanted quick action from Brazil to participate once more in the discussion of the future of the Earth and all people who live on it.
The Brazilian president's speech did not contain any major announcements but he did declare that he planned to make his country a force in fighting against climate change. His remarks drew sustained applause from the assembled delegates and observers at the summit.
According to CNN, the situation comes as the CEO at SOS Mata Atlantica, Luis Guedes Pinto, said that there was a need to plant and replant to save the Atlantic Forest. Pinto's organization, a non-profit, has been devoted to rehabilitating the swath of forest on Brazil's Atlantic coast.
Amazon Rainforest
The forest itself houses more than 145 million Brazilians and similar to the Amazon, has been ravaged by brutal deforestation in the last couple of years. The Atlantic Forest has nearly three-quarters of its area wiped out by urban and infrastructure development and aggressive agribusiness practices.
During the four years of Bolsonaro's presidency, his administration has faced accusations of undoing the environmental progress that Lula da Silva made as he served as president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010. The country's National Institute for Space Research revealed data showing the rate of deforestation under Bolsonaro has climbed by more than 70% from 2018 to 2021.
Lula da Silva argued that Brazil must stop its "rush to the abyss," adding that there is no climate security for the world if the Amazon rainforest is not protected. The leftist president also said that climate change would be the top priority of his government.
It was expected that Brazil's new president is full of ambition in trying to tackle climate change, but analysts argue that the real challenge would be how to make the promises come true, BBC reported.
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