Brazil scolds rich on environment
President Lula wants rich nations to do more to combat climate change
Brazilian
President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva has accused developed countries of
failing to do enough to fight against global warming.In a speech in Rio
de Janeiro, President Lula said it was time for wealthy countries to do
more to reduce gas emissions.He called on them to stop preaching on
what to do with the Amazon rainforest.President Lula said developed
nations applied a double standard in their approach to global
warming.The Brazilian president has accused wealthy countries of not
doing enough on the environment before, but he has rarely been this
direct.He said they were skilful at drafting agreements and protocols,
like the Kyoto treaty, to appear as if they were doing something to
reverse dangerous gas emissions.In practice, however, he said the
results proved otherwise.
‘World leader’
President Lula was
most adamant on the issue of deforestation.Developed countries, he
said, had nothing to teach Brazil on the subject, adding that his
country had reduced the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest by more
than 50% in the last three years.
Brazil says it has reduced Amazon deforestation by 50%
This
was something which should serve as a lesson to developed countries,
which in his words, had already deforested everything under their
controlOn the subject of alternative fuels, President Lula described
Brazil as a world leader.And indeed the South American country is the
world’s largest producer of ethanol made from sugar cane and it has the
world’s largest fleet of cars that run on alternative fuels.The
Brazilian president said he would be leading an international campaign
to highlight the need for wealthy countries to reduce gas emissions.His
comments come a day after the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told a
UN conference on the environment that the world’s poor, who are the
least responsible for global warming, will suffer the most from the
effects of climate change.