Brazil Needs More Financial Support to Pursue Environmental Protection Efforts

Depite having the highest deforestation rate for more than a decade, Brazil remains firm in pursuing its efforts to combat environmental destruction. However, Ricardo Salles, Minister of Environment, said the country is still sourcing funds to execute these efforts.

Salles previously announced his plans of bringing more environmental development in the country such as economic zoning and strengthening its implementation of environmental laws to the Amazon rainforest region, which has recently recorded the highest rate of deforestation in 11 years.

It can be recalled that three months ago, Amazon also grabbed headlines around the world as it suffered tremendously from wildfires.

Sitting with Amazon region state governors, Environmental Minister stressed in a press conference that the government "will strive to reduce deforestation by the time annual figures are next announced in late 2020."

Salles, however, did not mention about the numerical targets or stated when the proposed policies would roll out.

The Environmental Minister said Brazil will seek more resources to implement its environmental policies, including the plan to ask for additional funding for developing countries at the COP25 United Nations climate meeting in Madrid on December.

Salles urged other developed countries, which historically have higher greenhouse gas emissions than any other countries in history, to take higher responsibility in combating climate change. This includes financing efforts to lessen their carbon footprints.

Salles said Brazil's effective share of the $100 billion annual commitment of developed countries to help developing countries tackle global warming, as part of the Paris Agreement on climate change, is yet to be known at the COP in Madrid.

Moreover, on the concern of how other nations could be expected to give more money to Brazil when deforestation is rising, Salles answered that the country's performance in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions remains remarkable.

Salles also said, the Ministry of Environment will be receiving 230 million reais equivalent to $54.82 million from a fund set up as proceeds of a corruption settlement made by Petroleo Brasileiro SA. However, the minister did not mention how that money would be utilized.

In the same press briefing, Flavio Dino, Maranhao state governor said that another 430 million reais from the fund will be returned to the state, which would be used to alleviate environmental crimes and to "regularize" occupied lands in legal gray areas of the country.

In spite of all these environmental efforts, President Jair Bolsonaro said he doubts Brazil's commitment to confronting deforestation.

In a press conference, Bolsonaro told reporters that the deforestation or burning is cultural, thus, these problems are far from being resolved. He added, deforestation had higher rate in the mid-2000s where Brazil was still ruled by the left-wing government.

Bolsonaro previously claimed during the United Nations General Assembly in September, that Amazon "remains pristine and virtually untouched," stressing that this was evidence that Brazil is "one of the countries that protects its environment the most. He also dismissed the reports on the increased rate of forest fire by 84% compared to last year's data as overexaggerated by "sensationalist attacks" from the media.