The presidents of Venezuela and Colombia, Nicolás Maduro and Gustavo Petro, respectively, met this Tuesday for the second time since the two countries normalized relations, at the UN climate summit (COP27) being held in Egypt, agreeing on the need to strengthen the protection of the Amazon.
Maduro celebrated that the triumphs of Petro in Colombia and more recently of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil will help to implement, together with «powerful environmental movements», better policies for the protection of the Amazon, after «the devastation of the last four years».
The latter was a clear reference to the outgoing president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, who has been the target of international criticism for his environmental policies and his belligerence towards environmental and indigenous groups.
Maduro has stressed that if «any responsibility» South Americans have «is to stop the destruction of the Amazon» and has pointed out to the rest of the countries that share territory with this vast natural space the need to reactivate the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO).
For his part, President Petro emphasized that «the Amazon is a climatic pillar», without which we would reach «a point of no return», a «omnicide» – the death of all -, so it is essential, he said, to reach «a great world consensus» for its protection, reports the RCN radio station.
During the meeting, which was also attended by the president of Suriname, Chan Santokhi, Petro again pointed out the role that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has yet to play in this climate crisis.
«We don’t need money to be given away from the budgets of rich countries. We need debt relief for many poor countries, for all developing countries, so that the money that today goes to the financial sector can go to climate action,» he said.
