Amazon deforestation in Brazil reached a 12-year high in 2020, and over 95 per cent of it is illegal. Governments and markets must radically revalue the rainforest\u2019s natural services and stimulate a green economy to avoid a nightmare\u00a0scenario.<\/p>\n
The Amazon Basin is fast approaching an\u00a0irreversible tipping point. That should concern everyone, because what happens in the Amazon has planetary implications.<\/p>\n
Spanning eight South American countries and French Guiana, the Amazon contains over 60 per cent of the world\u2019s tropical forests, 20 per cent of its fresh water, and about 10 per cent of biodiversity.<\/p>\n
As a result of land speculation and insatiable global demand for meat, soy, gold, and other commodities,\u00a0roughly 20 per cent of the world\u2019s largest tropical forest\u00a0has already been razed.<\/p>\n
A further 5 per cent rise in deforestation levels could trigger catastrophic\u00a0dieback, essentially dooming the 2015 Paris climate agreement.<\/p>\n
Some\u00a0fear\u00a0this process may already have started. The current prognosis is not good: Amazon deforestation in Brazil reached a\u00a012-year high\u00a0in 2020, and\u00a0over 95 per cent of it is illegal.<\/p>\n
Unless governments and markets radically revalue the rainforest\u2019s natural services, this nightmare scenario may be unavoidable.<\/p>\n
Dieback in the Amazon Basin could release the equivalent of\u00a0a decade\u2019s worth of global greenhouse-gas emissions. The forest would also lose its ability to absorb billions of tons of carbon dioxide, disrupting hydrological cycles, evapotranspiration, and ocean currents.<\/p>\n
The agro-industrial sector could collapse, and the loss of biodiversity could be staggering. Hydroelectric facilities would be shuttered, declining water tables would make cities unlivable, and fisheries would become unviable.<\/p>\n
Preventing this outcome requires achieving zero deforestation in the Amazon by 2030. And that, in turn, requires a clearheaded\u00a0scientific assessment\u00a0and science-based targets.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Science Panel for the Amazon, a coalition of about 200 leading scientists from the region, should become permanent.\u00a0And, given the extraordinary wealth potential of preserving the forest\u2019s biodiversity, the best way to protect this resource is by stimulating the emergence of a green economy.<\/p>\n
For starters, this will require a\u00a0crackdown on illegal deforestation\u00a0and the networks that sustain it.\u00a0Brazil\u2019s environmental enforcement agency, Ibama, handed out\u00a020 per cent fewer fines in 2020\u00a0than in 2019, owing to funding cuts and reduced sanctions \u2013 and less than 3 per cent of fines are paid.<\/p>\n
Reinforcing Ibama, a federal agency, is essential, as is bolstering state-level institutions on the frontlines of environmental crime, such as police, firefighters, and land registration offices.<\/p>\n
Illegal deforestation occurs in several ways, but typically involves unlawful land invasions, followed by forest clearance for commercial agriculture and ranching.<\/p>\n
Another encroachment,\u00a0wildcat mining, mostly for gold, undermines local ecosystems and human health, while\u00a0wildlife trafficking, fueled by unrelenting global demand for rare birds, reptiles, and mammals, also affects forest health.<\/p>\n
Currently, two-thirds of global supply chains\u00a0have no policies\u00a0on illegal deforestation. Massive investment in\u00a0high-resolution remote sensing\u00a0and artificial intelligence-based\u00a0alert systems\u00a0is essential, as is\u00a0tracking illegally extracted commodities\u00a0in global supply chains and strengthening\u00a0investigation and prosecution.<\/p>\n
One of the most important priorities in the Amazon is developing a transparent and accountable system that allows property titles and land demarcations to be registered and monitored properly over time.<\/p>\n
Given the considerable fraud and corruption in most Amazonian countries\u2019 land registries, creating a digitised, accessible, and up-to-date ledger is critical to enforcing existing laws and stimulating legal markets.<\/p>\n
Developing an online dispute-resolution process to address outstanding legacy litigation related to\u00a0competing land claims\u00a0is no less vital. And establishing a blockchain verification system for land registries to demonstrate a clear chain of ownership and custody, while difficult, would greatly improve the prospects for a green economy.<\/p>\n
Another priority is\u00a0accelerating reforestation and land regeneration. In Brazil, home to 60 per cent of the Amazon, the state of Par\u00e1 is an obvious location for such efforts. In Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador, which together contain roughly 23 per cent of the Amazon, the states of Amazonas, Loreto, and Pastaza, respectively, stand out.<\/p>\n
The key is to build a predictable pipeline of reforestation, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable forest management projects that can scale rapidly.<\/p>\n
The Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation\u00a0initiative\u00a0could accelerate funding for such efforts. International financing from the\u00a0Amazon Fund,\u00a0US President Joe Biden\u2019s\u00a0administration, and tools such as\u00a0green bonds\u00a0would help, while\u00a0local financing\u00a0also could play a significant role.<\/p>\n
So, too, could initiatives such as the\u00a0Global Commons Alliance\u00a0and\u00a01t.org, along with investor activism, including from sovereign wealth and pension funds. In 2019, some\u00a0230 global investors, managing a total of more than $16 trillion in assets,\u00a0called on\u00a0companies to meet their deforestation commitments or risk adverse economic consequences.<\/p>\n
Most important are\u00a0innovations to bolster the green economy\u00a0and support the communities that are the custodians of the Amazon Basin. Such initiatives could be accelerated by a Brazilian equivalent to the US government\u2019s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to ramp up research and development, as well as related regulatory frameworks to\u00a0enable an inclusive bioeconomy\u00a0in the Amazon.<\/p>\n
This approach would include applied research to collect and map Amazon biodiversity \u2013 with scientists studying fruits, nuts, plant extracts, and fibers, and using drones to sample biodiversity in hard-to-reach areas \u2013 along with digital platforms to secure biological assets for the public good.<\/p>\n
To ensure that indigenous and local populations are included and benefit, clear and enforceable\u00a0data-sharing rules\u00a0and safeguards to promote local value creation and retention must accompany these efforts. In addition, establishing low- and high-tech innovation hubs in selected countries can stimulate local innovation, harness traditional knowledge, and ensure local ownership.<\/p>\n
Advancing the green economy and achieving zero deforestation in the Amazon will depend on the combined efforts of governments, the private sector, and civil society. In Brazil, several groups \u2013 including the\u00a0Concert for the Amazon\u00a0and the\u00a0Brazilian Coalition on Climate, Forests, and Agriculture\u00a0\u2013 are playing a pivotal role in shaping the agenda and connecting stakeholders. And with the country\u2019s federal government missing in action on this issue, local governments also are stepping up.<\/p>\n
Concerted international and regional efforts \u2013 such as the\u00a0Leticia Pact\u00a0\u2013 combined with national and subnational interventions could create a brighter future for the Amazon. The health of the planet depends on it.<\/p>\n
Robert Muggah, Juan Carlos Castilla-Rubio, and Julia Sekula contributed to this commentary.<\/p>\n
Ilona Szab\u00f3, Co-Founder and President of the Igarap\u00e9 Institute, is an affiliate scholar at Princeton University\u2019s Brazil LAB and a public policy fellow at Columbia University<\/p>\n
Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2021.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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