Some proposals can be put into practice as early as the first day of the new administration, such as the resumption of homologation process for indigenous lands; the movement claims a 70% reduction in deforestation during term in office
End hunger, fight deforestation, and job and income generation in rural areas: these are three pillars to guide the agricultural and environmental agenda of governments coming into office in 2023, according to Brazilian Coalition on Climate, Forests, and Agriculture. The entity, which comprises over 340 members, including agribusiness organizations, companies, the academia, and NGOs, released on Monday (14) a document with over 30 proposals considered priorities by the sector. Some proposals must be taken by the elected president as early as the first day of his term, such as the demarcation of indigenous lands, resumption of plans against Cerrado and Amazon devastation, restoring the Amazon Fund, paving the way for creating the National Climate Authority, and the return of civil society to public administration collegiate bodies. The report will be delivered in the coming weeks to the presidential, state government and congressional transition teams.
Further proposals were divided according to timeframe needed for their implementation: in the first 100 days of administration and structural measures, which will demand attention during the entire term of office. Regarding the latter, emphasis is placed on reducing up to 70% of deforestation in the Amazon, which would be possible, among other factors, through the reinforcement of command-and-control policies and the immediate return, in up-to-date version, of the Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm).
“We believe it is possible to reduce Amazon deforestation by up to 70% since Brazil has seen a similar reduction in the past without any harm to the economy,” says Paulo Moutinho, senior scientist at IPAM. “Reversing the rise of deforestation with economic growth is precisely where the proposals developed by the Coalition are aimed. We also believe that, in this task, the country will be able to expect support from the international community engaged in tackling climate crisis”, he adds.
The National Pact for Healthy and Biodiverse Food is among the recommendations related to food security, through which the promotion of agricultural and cattle raising activities is tied to food quality for Brazilians, with positive economic and public health impacts. It is also a priority to strengthen the Bolsa Verde Program and promote access to markets for family farming and sociobiodiversity products. The Safra Plan’s improvement, privileging the ABC+ Plan, is suggested to promote food production, job and income generation in rural areas, simultaneously contributing to decarbonize the Brazilian economy.
“Fight against deforestation of the Amazon means fighting hunger today and in the future. The current destruction level has already begun to compromise the forest’s capacity to produce all the rainfall necessary to food production. If the Amazon reaches the point of no return from which it becomes a savanna, Brazil’s ability to produce food will be severely compromised,” warns Eduardo Bastos, CEO at MyCarbon and a member of the Coalition’s Executive Group. “Unless we fight deforestation in the Amazon, it is not possible to tackle hunger and poverty, since the Brazilian economy is totally dependent on the environmental services which the forest provides for its food and energy security,” he emphasizes.
The creation of the National Climate Authority, in turn, is pointed out as a key element for climate change to be handled in a transversal approach by the elected government, since the body would be responsible, among other functions, for defining new goals for reducing of greenhouse gas emissions – currently considered little ambitious – for inspecting initiatives aimed at mitigation and adaptation against extreme events, in addition to regulating the functioning of Brazilian carbon market. It is also a signal to the world that Brazil wishes to regain its diplomatic leading role in the climate agenda.
“Besides the fight against climate change, the forests are another issue that is gaining increasing visibility in the international community. By keeping the Amazon standing, Brazil has all the conditions to grow. Therefore, it must focus on creating a National Policy on Bioeconomy to promote sectors such as the restoration and silviculture of native species. This is where there are many opportunities for the private sector, since forest restoration offers multiple innovative timber and non-timber products, for instance, new materials for the textile, plastics and construction industries. In addition to carbon sequestration and storage, forests add a growing value component to the markets: biodiversity,” explains Roberto Waack, a Brazilian Coalition member and member of the Executive Board of Marfrig.
Access the document “Brazil of Tomorrow: Proposals for the country’s agro-environmental agenda from now on” here: