Asian, African Nations Join Amazon Meeting to Preserve Rainforests
2023-08-10
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1Representatives of nations with rainforests in Asia and Africa joined leaders from eight Amazon-area countries for a meeting in Brazil on Wednesday.
2The nations will produce a statement called "United for our Forests" to be presented at COP 28 in November.
3COP 28 is the United Nations climate change conference and it will be held in the Middle Eastern city of Dubai.
4The eight South American countries, known as the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), opened the meeting on Tuesday.
5The ACTO includes Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.
6The nations agreed to work on developing their economies without harming the rainforest to a "point of no return."
7Representatives also came from the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia and the French territory of Guiana.
8The president of Norway, a contributor to the Amazon fund for sustainable development, also joined.
9Scientists say when 20 to 25 percent of the Amazon rainforest is destroyed, it will reduce rainfall and change the environment.
10The land will get drier and many kinds of plants and animals will die out.
11Some environmental activists, however, criticized Tuesday's event, saying the countries did not create a plan with clear goals and deadlines.
12Brazil's president is Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva.
13In his third term as leader, he is working to save the Amazon.
14A study last month showed his efforts caused a 42 percent drop in deforestation in only seven months.
15The Amazon stretches across an area twice the size of India.
16Two-thirds of it lies in Brazil, with seven other countries and French Guiana sharing the remaining third.
17Until recently, critics say South American governments saw the rainforest as a resource for materials they could use to grow their economies.
18Trees were cleared for cattle, companies drilled for oil and mined the land for minerals and metals, and cities and roads were built through the forest.
19Indigenous people lost their land and plants and animals became endangered.
20All the Amazon nations signed the 2015 Paris climate agreement to reduce pollution.
21But experts say the countries have had problems working together.
22They say the latest agreement should require all nations to end deforestation by 2030.
23So far, only Brazil and Colombia agreed on that deadline.
24The nations are also divided on oil drilling in the Amazon.
25Colombian leader Gustavo Petro called for an end to oil exploration but other nations are not sure they want to follow.
26The ACTO meeting, however, did receive support from one Indigenous leader, Fany Kuiru of Colombia.
27Kuiru praised the group for recognizing the rights of native people to traditional lands and opening a way for indigenous people to participate.
28In a discussion on Tuesday, da Silva said the Amazon is a "passport to a new relationship with the world" where its resources can be "valued and put in the service of everyone."
29I'm Dan Friedell.
1Representatives of nations with rainforests in Asia and Africa joined leaders from eight Amazon-area countries for a meeting in Brazil on Wednesday. 2The nations will produce a statement called "United for our Forests" to be presented at COP 28 in November. COP 28 is the United Nations climate change conference and it will be held in the Middle Eastern city of Dubai. 3The eight South American countries, known as the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), opened the meeting on Tuesday. 4The ACTO includes Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. The nations agreed to work on developing their economies without harming the rainforest to a "point of no return." 5Representatives also came from the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia and the French territory of Guiana. The president of Norway, a contributor to the Amazon fund for sustainable development, also joined. 6Scientists say when 20 to 25 percent of the Amazon rainforest is destroyed, it will reduce rainfall and change the environment. The land will get drier and many kinds of plants and animals will die out. 7Some environmental activists, however, criticized Tuesday's event, saying the countries did not create a plan with clear goals and deadlines. 8Brazil's president is Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva. In his third term as leader, he is working to save the Amazon. A study last month showed his efforts caused a 42 percent drop in deforestation in only seven months. 9The Amazon stretches across an area twice the size of India. Two-thirds of it lies in Brazil, with seven other countries and French Guiana sharing the remaining third. 10Until recently, critics say South American governments saw the rainforest as a resource for materials they could use to grow their economies. Trees were cleared for cattle, companies drilled for oil and mined the land for minerals and metals, and cities and roads were built through the forest. Indigenous people lost their land and plants and animals became endangered. 11All the Amazon nations signed the 2015 Paris climate agreement to reduce pollution. But experts say the countries have had problems working together. They say the latest agreement should require all nations to end deforestation by 2030. So far, only Brazil and Colombia agreed on that deadline. 12The nations are also divided on oil drilling in the Amazon. Colombian leader Gustavo Petro called for an end to oil exploration but other nations are not sure they want to follow. 13The ACTO meeting, however, did receive support from one Indigenous leader, Fany Kuiru of Colombia. Kuiru praised the group for recognizing the rights of native people to traditional lands and opening a way for indigenous people to participate. 14In a discussion on Tuesday, da Silva said the Amazon is a "passport to a new relationship with the world" where its resources can be "valued and put in the service of everyone." 15I'm Dan Friedell. 16Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. 17____________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19sustainable -adj. able to continue for a long time without harming the environment 20deadline -n. a time that a project must be completed by 21deforestation -n. the act of removing trees for a forest so the land can be used for something else, or the trees can be used for lumber 22indigenous -n. people who originally lived in a land 23endangered -adj. at risk of dying out 24____________________________________________________ 25We want to hear from you. Do you think the rainforest nations can make a positive change in the fight against climate change? 26Here is how our comment system works: 27Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.