Powerful oped by Colombian president🔥: “It’s time to phase out fossil fuels if we want to fully protect the Amazon”🌳
Nick Buxton
If we want to fully protect the Amazon, we must phase out fossil fuels | Opinion
Gustavo PedroOur fate is intertwined with that of the Amazon, regardless of where we reside. Only through global climate action can we ensure a sustainable future for our planet. As president of one of eight countries that host this vital forest, Colombia is dedicated to eradicating deforestation, but also to phasing out fossil-fuel development, as the forest’s health hinges on our fragile global climate balance.
I am calling on Amazon countries and our partners in the “Global North” to commit to phasing out fossil fuel development, and to do so in a way that protects our right to a just transition to a post-carbon world.
Environmental ministers from across Amazonia met in Leticia, Colombia, last weekend to chart a path toward next month’s Amazon Summit in Belem, Brazil, at the mouth of the Amazon River. Bold support for an action plan will be crucial at the United Nations convening in New York in September.
Undoubtedly, ending deforestation in the Amazon is fundamental. The United States is stepping up to help make this a reality with its recent pledge of $500 million to curb Amazon deforestation. However, tackling deforestation alone will fall far short of what is necessary.
Even if we get deforestation under control, the Amazon faces dire threats if global heating continues to climb. To avoid the point of no return, we need an ambitious transnational policy to phase out fossil fuels. The support of countries like the United States is vital in transforming this vision into reality.
The “Global South” countries, endowed with proven fossil-fuel reserves, confront a serious dilemma. On one hand, we could exploit these reserves to generate resources to repay our debts and invest in development, at the cost of devastating the Amazon and exacerbating the climate crisis. On the other hand, we can choose to keep the oil, gas, and coal in the ground, suffering the challenging economic consequences.
This situation presents a paradox: Countries in the Global South, including Colombia, have contributed the least to historical emissions, yet we bear the brunt of the climate crisis. Meanwhile, global powers continue to amass trillions of dollars from fossil fuel production.
An alternative must emerge. It is unfair for our countries, particularly those sharing expanses of the Amazon, to shoulder the costs alone. Fortunately, there are numerous financial mechanisms that can enable Amazonian countries to implement a just energy transition.
Some mechanisms are simple, such as exchanging external debt for climate action. In the case of Colombia, we can allocate a substantial amount of resources to protect the Amazon.
Another immediate action to save the Amazon is to establish a multilateral fund that funds environmental protection services by inhabitants of these territories: workers, farmers, and civil society. Transforming Amazon residents into agents of change requires compensating them for safeguarding the land they know best. Colombia has already earmarked $200 million annually for the next 20 years, and we hope that more individuals, organizations, and states will contribute.
Other mechanisms are more complex, such as financial reforms — including Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s bold Bridgetown initiative. In addition, we must consider the urgent development of a progressive global tax on fossil fuels, facilitating a fair balance between developed and developing nations, and establishing the necessary conditions to implement climate policies.
How do we start? As heads of state, we must assure the end of new oil and gas exploration in the Amazon. We must exhibit courage, even as we address fundamental social issues within our countries, exacerbated by a cost of living crisis and rampant inflation. We expect our colleagues in the Global North to demonstrate the same level of boldness and compromise. This is the only way we can pave the way for a livable planet in the future.
While the United States’ pledge for an Amazon Fund is significant, it falls short of what is truly needed. As the wealthiest nation on Earth and one of the largest greenhouse gas emitters, the United States must fully engage in this movement. The United States has the potential to lead and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Maintaining the status quo will not save the world from the catastrophic climate and ecological emergency. The Amazon is calling out for urgent action. Let’s heed its call, not only for the sake of the Amazon itself but for the future of humanity. We are all interconnected in confronting the threat of the climate emergency (as evidenced by the blanket of smoke that recently engulfed much of North America). It is time to translate our good intentions into concrete actions, for the sake of our communities, our rural workers, our indigenous groups, our planet and the well-being of future generations.
Gustavo Petro is president of the Republic of Colombia.
Context
Since his election, President Petro and his ministers have made numerous public statements confirming the government's commitment not to issue any new oil and gas exploration licences, including during the UNGA, the Davos Economic Forum and COP27
This op-ed published by the Miami Herald, is the second the Colombian President has written for an international media outlet, following the one in Le Monde right before the Paris Summit
It comes almost a year after the duo of Gustavo Petro and Francia Márquez came to power. With their government plan "Colombia, potencia mundial de la vida" (2022-2026), they have made the fight against climate change one of their priorities.
Their proposals have been heavily attacked by the opposition, the fossil fuel industry, conservative media and even allies of the government
Therefore, the Colombian government requires support from a diversity of actors, both national and international, to act as external validators, also arguing that moving away from fossil fuel production is the best way forward for Colombia from a climate and economic point of view
Colombia could play a key role in the region by generating further endorsements of a fossil fuel phase-out since Petro’s government is already promoting cooperation between Latin American and Caribbean states on climate issues
At COP27, Petro's message reinforced the first joint position of Latin America and the Caribbean in the face of the climate crisis. He committed to promoting a Latin American front in the fight against climate change that includes rescuing the Amazon rainforest by recognising the role of indigenous people as keepers of the forest
This oped is part of his ongoing commitment to put an end to fossil fuel production, with priority given to the Amazon and comes after the support for a “fossil fuel non-proliferation zone” in the Amazon by Minister Susana Muhamad at the Forum of Environment Ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean.
It is a call for international cooperation addressed to the other Amazonian presidents and to the countries of the Global North, in particular the United States, which have the historic responsibility and the practical means to protect the Amazon and therefore humanity.