The Summit of the countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) opened on August 7 in Brazil. Meeting in the context of the Amazon forest facing a series of risks, the conference is expected to be an opportunity for ACTO member countries to develop the first common policy to reverse degradation in the largest tropical forest in the world. pure.
Although considered as the green lung of the earth, in recent years, the Amazon forest has been continuously ravaged by tree felling, rampant mineral exploitation, burning forests for agriculture and cattle raising... Many areas The area has been wiped out, pushing a number of rare animal and plant species into the danger of extinction.
In the study, published in the journal Science, scientists said that the Amazon forest was destroyed much more seriously than previously reported. Accordingly, deforestation in Brazil, which accounts for 60% of the Amazon area, skyrocketed in the period 2019-2022. In addition, the number of fires caused by human activities and dry weather is also the cause of the shrinking forest area.
The diverse flora and fauna of the Amazon jungle.
Colombian Environment Minister Susana Muhamad said that in order to preserve the Amazon forest, the area of destruction cannot be exceeded by 20%. Many scientists warn that, if the above-mentioned limit is broken, this valuable asset will not be able to recover and can be transformed into grassland within a few decades. Worryingly, the rate of deforestation in the Amazon has now reached 17%.
Experts affirmed that the above situation not only poses a challenge to countries in the region, but also the fight against global climate change. With an area of nearly 7 million square kilometers, spanning the territory of 8 countries, the Amazon rainforest is home to about 1 million Aboriginal people of 500 different tribes and home to more than 3 people. million species of animals and plants.
According to new research results published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, Amazon absorbs 26.000 tons of air pollutants each year, while saving about $ 2 billion a year in health care costs to reduce the cost of air pollution. treatment of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
In addition, by absorbing large amounts of CO2 emissions and providing about 20% of the oxygen on Earth, this largest tropical forest in the world plays an extremely important role in limiting the impact of climate change. climate change. US climate envoy John Kerry warned that the world cannot meet the goal of limiting global temperature increase to 1,5oC without protecting the Amazon. Meanwhile, Colombia's Environment Minister stated that the destruction of this forest to the point of irrecoverability will lead to unpredictable consequences for global climate change.
In the face of an urgent call for help from the Amazon, the ACTO Summit is an opportunity for countries to make a turning point to reverse the degradation in this tropical forest. Brazilian President Lula da Silva affirmed that forest conservation and security along the border between countries are the main topics of the conference. In addition, ACTO member countries have also proposed a project to regenerate about 30 million hectares of forests.
Cost is one of the difficult problems in the effort to revitalize the Amazon forest. Research by the World Resources Institute and the Global Commission on Economy and Climate shows that, to protect and turn the Amazon into a sustainable economic growth engine, Brazil needs to invest about 533 billion USD between now and next year. 2050.
In that context, the Colombian Government believes that the ACTO Summit is an opportunity to promote multilateralism in solving problems related to the Amazon, because the existence of forests greatly affects the agenda. global climate. In fact, forest conservation has received the attention of many world powers. Since coming to power in early 2023, the government of Brazilian President Lula da Silva has revived the Amazon Forest Protection Fund and continues to lobby world leaders to contribute to efforts to save the forest. The fund has received considerable support from the UK, France, and Germany.
According to the Brazilian Government, thanks to unremitting efforts, in the 7 months of 2023, the area of Amazon rainforest cleared in this country has decreased by about 43% compared to the same period in 2022. However, experts emphasize The journey to rescue the Amazon is still long and thorny, requiring the cooperation and contribution of not only countries in the region but also the international community.
According to Nhan Dan Newspaper
