Colombian President Ivan Duque and Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro want to pull together on action to fight climate change and protect the Amazon at the COP26 world climate conference.
“For sure, we will arrive united in Glasgow to address a very important issue that we all care about: our beloved, rich and coveted Amazon,” Bolsonaro said on Tuesday after meeting with Duque in Brasilia.
The Brazilian Amazon is experiencing the worst deforestation and fires in years. Bolsonaro is accused of having created a mood that increasingly encourages farmers to use the area for agricultural purposes – which means burning down areas of forest.
Bolsonaro and his Colombian counterpart on Tuesday insisted on the sovereignty of the Amazon and its neighbours.
- Ex-German soldiers arrested over alleged terror plot in Yemen’s war
- Floods, landslides kill about 100 in northern India and Nepal
They said they were committed not only to the energy transition and reducing emissions, but also to achieving carbon neutrality, Bolsonaro said.
The Amazon basin spans nine countries in South America and a distance the equivalent of Berlin to Baghdad.
A large part of the area, which is considered a CO2 reservoir, is in Brazil. The country therefore has a key role in climate protection.
Bolsonaro, however, sees the Amazon mainly for its untapped economic potential.
The COP26 UN Climate Change Conference, considered crucial to the fight against global warming, is scheduled from October 31 to November 12.
