Brazil to move up goal to end illegal deforestation of Amazon rainforest: vice president
Global News
The Amazon is the world's largest tropical rainforest and is considered a major bulwark against climate change.
Brazil plans to bring forward its 2030 goal of ending illegal deforestation by two or three years, Vice President Hamilton Mourao said on Monday, six days before a global climate conference.
Mourao said forest fires in the Amazon region had dropped significantly, by about 40 per cent this year, and that the Brazilian government will reaffirm its commitment to international environmental goals at the United Nations climate change conference in Glasgow that runs from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12.
The most recent satellite data on Amazon deforestation from national space agency INPE shows it rose slightly, by 2 per cent, in September from a year ago.
Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been criticized by environmental activists and some world leaders for the rise in deforestation during his presidency, pledged in April during a White House Earth Day summit to end illegal logging by 2030.
The Amazon is the world’s largest tropical rainforest and is considered a major bulwark against climate change.
Bolsonaro is in favour of allowing commercial mining and agriculture on indigenous reservations, which have the most preserved forests in the Amazon.
Speaking at a news conference, Mourao said Brazil cannot rule out commercial mining in the Amazon. While he recognized building new highways through the rainforest brings environmental risks, he said they are essential for the Amazon region’s development.
He added that there should be negotiations to pay Brazil some form of compensation for preserving the Amazon rainforest.
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