Brazil’s President Lula unveils plan to end deforestation by 2030
The government of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has announced its plan to eliminate deforestation by 2030 as part of an international pledge to protect the environment.
Lula and his environment minister Marina Silva on Monday unveiled the action plan to prevent and combat deforestation in the Amazon, touting it as the latest step in their aggressive platform to fight climate change.
“Brazil has resumed its leadership role in the fight against climate change, after four years of treating the environment as an obstacle to the immediate gains of a privileged minority,” Lula said in a post on Twitter, referring to his predecessor’s policies, Jair Bolsonaro.
“But rich countries also have to do their part. They were the ones who destroyed the forests the most over the centuries.”
A plan to prevent deforestation
Fifteen ministries contributed to the plan, which includes advanced techniques for documenting and tracking illegal deforestation.
The plan envisages greater use of satellite imagery to identify illegal logging, ranching and mining activities. Government databases containing financial information, for example, will also be used to track the flow of funds from unapproved operations in the Amazon rainforest.
Under the terms of the plan, a system will also be developed to certify the origin of timber and agricultural products that might otherwise come from fragile or exploited ecosystems.
In addition to crime-fighting efforts, the plan proposes standardizing land titles and creating incentives for sustainable agriculture and other “green” activities.
“Lumberjacks in the country should be told that if they want to cut down trees, they should plant them,” Lula said of the proposed measures.
He also warned that there would be no excuse for cutting down ancient forests. “In the land of the Brazilian people, we will be very strict in following the law.”
A tough battle
Lula’s policies differ from those of Bolsonaro, whose term from 2019 to 2022 coincided with record deforestation in Brazil.
Bolsonaro had called for more development in the Amazon, viewing the construction as a potential boon to Brazil’s economy and turning a blind eye to illegal operations, according to critics.
But Bolsonaro’s opponents condemned what they saw as an attack on the country’s environmental protections, one that translated into violence against the indigenous people who call the Amazon home.
In October, the right-wing Bolsonaro was narrowly defeated in a runoff against left-wing Lula, who was campaigning to restore the Amazon. Parts of the forest, once an important store of carbon, are now releasing more carbon than they capture due to deforestation and fires.
Nevertheless, Lula appeared at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP27, in November in an effort to position Brazil as a leader in the fight against climate change.
“There is no climate security for the world without a protected Amazon,” he told the conference.
Still, Lula has faced an uphill battle. Deforestation fell 61 percent in January, his first month in office, to reach an all-time high in February.
And Brazil’s opposition-led congress recently delivered a setback for Lula, voting last week to phase out ministries dealing with environmental protection and indigenous peoples.
A solemn anniversary
Monday’s deforestation announcement comes a year after British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous expert Bruno Pereira were killed while covering the Amazon.
Announcing the plan Monday, Lula paid tribute to the two men, who had worked to draw attention to deforestation and illegal operations on indigenous lands.
“A year ago, the brutal murder they fell victim to shocked the world, which began to see the Amazon as a country without law and on the verge of destruction,” Lula wrote on Twitter. “Today the world has returned to look at Brazil with hope.”
The announcement lays the groundwork for Brazil to move forward with a 2021 agreement, forged at the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, to halt deforestation by 2030.
An estimated 145 countries joined the Glasgow Declaration, which would cover about 85 percent of the world’s forests and forests. Among them, 12 governments have pledged $12 billion to protect and restore forest ecosystems, earmarking funds for indigenous peoples.