Wealthy nations must pay for rainforest protection: Brazil's Lula

Posted November 28, 2007 14:25:00

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says wealthy nations must compensate poorer countries for protecting their rainforests.

President Lula made his plea to the world's wealthier countries just days ahead of the major United Nations conference on climate change, which is being held in Bali, Indonesia.

He says rich countries need to know that the price they will have to pay in order for the poorest countries to protect their forests will be a major issue at the conference.

"You are not going to convince the poor anywhere in the world not to cut a tree without the right to a job and food in exchange," he said.

Brazil itself is one of the largest carbon emitters, mainly due to deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

Brazil, a major developing world trading power with an increasing influence on environmental issues, is a pioneer in producing and using low-emissions ethanol derived from sugar cane and 85 per cent of its power generation comes from renewable energy sources.

Mr Lula also criticised the United States for subsidising less efficient ethanol derived from corn, while charging duties on imported ethanol made from sugarcane.

"Where is the trade equality, where is the will to clean the planet? ... They could start taxing oil," he said.


Topics: rain-forests-and-forest, environment, climate-change, world-politics, brazil