Norway will resume rainforest investment in Brazil after Lula’s election victory – Dagsavisen

By Fredrik Moen Gabrielsen/NTB

Jair Bolsonaro will sit as president until January 1, after which Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will take over as the country’s leader.

During this transition period, the Norwegian government will contact Lula’s transition team to resume rainforest cooperation, says Climate and Environment Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap).

– We will talk to his people to prepare the formalities and get a management structure in place. There are significant sums frozen in an account in Brazil in the Amazon Fund, which can be paid out quickly, says Barth Eide to NTB.

Cut support in 2019

After Bolsonaro came to power in 2019, deforestation in the Brazilian part of the Amazon has increased sharply. Bolsonaro has cut environmental measures and made it clear that he wants agriculture and other commercial activities in areas where there is currently rainforest.

Bolsonaro’s priorities led to both Norway and Germany cutting environmental support to Brazil in the summer of 2019.

– There has been a massive increase in deforestation under Bolsonaro, which has been very worrying. Everyone concerned about the climate has painfully seen how he has completely disregarded old agreements and promises, says Barth Eide.

[ Lula da Silva skal styre Brasil – igjen ]

– An important day

Lula won with close to 51 percent of the vote against Bolsonaro’s 49 percent in the second round of the presidential election on Sunday.

Lula was also president of the country between 2003 and 2010. He will now embark on his third four-year term. The 77-year-old has made big promises, including that Brazil will take back its place in the fight against the climate crisis, especially when it comes to the Amazon rainforest.

He has also set an ambitious goal of zero deforestation.

– This is an important day. It is good for Brazil, but also for the whole world, says Barth Eide.

– Then it is the case that the president does not rule alone, nor does Lula. It will be a bit like when Biden won the election in the United States, he takes over a country with a complicated political landscape to navigate, he says.

The case continues below the video

Climate summit in Egypt

In less than a week, a number of heads of state and government will gather at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt, and Barth Eide will also be present.

– After all, it will be Bolsonaro’s Brazil that shows up, and we must have respect for this upcoming transition phase. But it is entirely possible that a signal will be sent from Lula about what can be expected when he takes over, says the climate minister.

– Brazil has been demanding in much of the international work, not just climate. We look forward to a slightly different tone.

Carbon stock

The Amazon forest is the world’s largest rainforest. It is considered a crucial resource for mitigating global warming. Large amounts of carbon are stored in the forest, and this turns into CO2 if the trees are burned.

Water that evaporates from the Amazon rainforest moves with the air currents and contributes to precipitation far away. In addition, the forest is habitat for an enormous number of animal and plant species.

Deforestation in the Brazilian part of the Amazon has reached high levels under Bolsonaro. In the Brazilian part of the Amazon, an average of 111 hectares disappeared every hour last year. The pace of deforestation corresponded to the felling of 18 trees per second.

[ Thunberg dropper klimatoppmøtet i Egypt – mener disse møtene hovedsakelig blir brukt av ledere til å få oppmerksomhet om grønnvasking ]

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Facts about Norway’s rainforest investment

• Norway contributes up to NOK 3 billion annually to measures to preserve forests in tropical countries. The aim is to reduce climate emissions from deforestation and preserve species diversity in the rainforests.
• The initiative was launched at the UN climate meeting in Bali in 2007.
• Norway has entered into agreements with Brazil, Indonesia, Colombia and a number of other developing countries regarding payment for reduced greenhouse gas emissions from forests.
• The main principle behind the agreements is that the countries receive support when they can prove that deforestation has been reduced. The decline is measured in relation to estimates of what deforestation would have been without new measures.
• Cooperation with Brazil was put on hold in 2019, after President Jair Bolsonaro came to power in the country.

Sources: Ministry of Climate and the Environment, NICFI IPCC, NTB

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