South American summit seeks roadmap to save Amazon

FRANCE 24 English

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00:00 This is one of the planet's main carbon reserves, and it's heading to a point of no return.

00:07 Deforestation coupled with forest fires is causing the Amazon rainforest to emit more

00:12 carbon dioxide than it can absorb.

00:16 In 2020, its CO2 emissions were 117% higher than the average between 2010 and 2018.

00:24 The leaders of the eight countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization are

00:29 meeting to discuss urgent solutions to save the forest.

00:33 "First, the Amazon is severely threatened.

00:37 Second, we cannot allow it to enter a point of no return.

00:41 And third, it is impossible to reverse this process if we work separately.

00:45 So we're going to work together."

00:49 On the agenda is working on eradicating deforestation, ending illegal gold mining and policing environmental

00:56 crime. Brazilian President Lula, who returned to power in January, has pledged to halt deforestation

01:03 by 2030, after his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro increased it by 75% compared to the average

01:10 over the last decade.

01:13 Today tree felling is slowly decreasing. According to official figures, felling levels dropped

01:19 by 42.5% between January and July compared with the same period last year.

01:26 Colombia's ZENU indigenous people are pushing for others to continue the progress that has

01:31 been made.

01:32 "If we don't overcome the values of cutthroat competition, of permanent war on nature, it's

01:40 going to be very difficult to overcome the environmental crises that we are facing at

01:45 this time of war."

01:46 But amid negotiations, the sensitive topic remains the issue of oil projects in the region.

01:55 In favour of an economy without fossil fuels, Colombia is advocating for a rapid energy

02:01 transition.

02:02 But Venezuela and Brazil, both big oil producers, are arguing for a progressive transition and

02:08 the prolonging of oil extraction in the Amazon.

02:11 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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