11 Jun, 2008
The Brazilian Amazon to the Brazilian - Johan Eliasch
In response to the rumor started about him, Johah expressed his opinion about the Amazon.
The Brazilian Amazon to the Brazilians
Johan Eliasch
It was announced that I would have said that the Amazon forest could be "bought" by the total value of $ 50 billion. I never said that!REPORTS positive and negative, some containing several factual errors, have been published recently in respect of my involvement in the protection of the Amazon forest, and therefore some clarification from the Brazilian public deserve to be provided in a clear and objective.
I am an admirer of Brazil, multifaceted culture, the natural beauty and the kindness of the Brazilian people. I have immense respect for the leadership exercised by this country to combat deforestation and to protect the environment. No country has done more to try to understand the factors that lead to deforestation and challenges in promoting sustainable development.
The Brazilian Amazon forest belongs to Brazil and I firmly believe that this should continue. Some foreign observers have argued that the Brazilian government must be guided on how to protect the forest, or that international assistance would be needed.
This view, usually held by people who have never been in Brazil or the Amazon forest, it is completely wrong. It has been disclosed, without the slightest foundation, I would have said that the Amazon forest could be "bought" by the total value of $ 50 billion. I never said that! I made a speech to the insurance industry in July 2006, when they tried to demonstrate the direct link between the clearing of forests and some natural disasters.
What I said, so it will be publicly explained, is that the amount spent by insurance companies as a result of the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 (about $ 75 billion) was higher than the hypothetical value capital of the Amazon Forest.
I said that the insurance industry has a clear interest in financially supporting the protection of tropical forests. Such protection would affect the climate changes, avoiding thus natural hazards arising therefrom.
If the carbon stored in tropical forests is an appeal against global climate change, Brazil and other countries where such forests are located, should be rewarded with sustainable use of such resources.
For that Brazil should assume such responsibility alone? The only way to reduce the deforestation and at the same time, ensure the goals of growth and development of countries in possession of tropical forests is to have everyone working around the same goal.
I believe we should bring together the skills and competence of Brazil and other countries in possession of tropical forests with a substantial availability of resources from the most economically developed countries. The rich countries, after all, are those that most benefited by the development and industrial progress and caused more therefore adversely affect the environment.
If the international community act together on issues of poverty alleviation and the transfer of part of the fruits of the economic use of forests for local people (sustainable use), rather than exploitative companies (non-sustainable development), we can tackle the problem of deforestation effectively.
The protection of the forest is a model community, and as a citizen of the international community, try to take the responsibility that I have in that context.
The rest of the world must be prepared to compensate the nations in possession of tropical forests for the protection of that heritage.
This may be an unprecedented opportunity to combat poverty and a tool for economic development of Brazil (more specifically in the Amazon region), the Congo and some Asian countries.
I am not a conservationist liabilities. Brazil has a huge responsibility in this regard and has made heroic efforts in areas of environmental protection.
I and many others, Brazilian or foreign, share the same ideal. So why not put aside controversial policies and act together? The future of the planet is at stake and we are all responsible for leaving him in a better position for this and future generations.
Johan Eliasch, 46, Bachelor of Arts degree in economics, a master's degree in engineering at the Royal Institute of Technology of Sweden, is special advisor to British Prime Minister for matters relating to deforestation and climate change, the Chairman of the Board and CEO of Head NV and co-chair Cool the Earth, as well as patron of the University of Stockholm (Sweden).
Text taken from the Folha de Sao Paulo.
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