Amazon nations fail to agree on a common goal to end deforestation

Amazon nations fail to agree on a common goal to end deforestation

CNN — Eight South American countries failed to agree on a common goal to save the critically vulnerable Amazon from deforestation following a landmark summit in Brazil Tuesday, a concerning outcome as the world’s largest rainforest acts as a key buffer against the climate crisis.

It was the first time in more than a decade that member states of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) had met, with the aim of establishing definite goals to avoid a point of no return for the vital rainforest.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been advocating for a common regional policy to end deforestation by 2030, promising his country will reach zero deforestation.

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon increased rapidly under Lula da Silva’s predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, and some scientists have warned the rainforest may be approaching a critical tipping point that could see it transformed into a grassy savannah, with huge implications for biodiversity and the climate crisis.

“We haven’t met in 14 years. This is the first time that we meet here in [the state of] Pará, and the first time in the context of a severe worsening of the climate crisis,” Lula da Silva said during his opening remarks Tuesday in the