Venezuela and Amazon Countries Prepare for Copenhagen Climate Summit

Mérida, November 29^th 2009 (Venezuelanalysis.com) -- In the Summit of Amazon Countries on Climate that took place on Thursday, Venezuela’s representative, Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro, said capitalism was to blame for the world’s environmental damage, and the countries at the summit demanded that financial and emission cutting burdens be taken on primarily by those countries causing the damage.

The Summit of Amazon Countries was called by Brazil and took place in Manaus, Brazil. Eight countries with Amazon forest, as well as France (which owns French Guiana) participated, with the aim of consolidating a common position before the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December.

The Amazon rainforest is one of the most important ecosystems in the world and represents over half of the planet’s remaining rainforest.

The countries at the summit concluded that they would demand that “developed” nations reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in proportion to their responsibility for the contamination of the planet. Specifically, the countries recommended reducing emissions by at least 40%. The concluding declaration also demands that such countries contribute financial support.

Maduro told the press on Thursday that the most important thing was to establish commitment to “confront the destruction that they are calling climate change.”

“It’s important that everyone very clearly understands that over the last two hundred years capitalism has created a model of destruction of nature based on … excessive profits,” Maduro said.

“For many decades it has been warned… based on scientific studies by various organisations across the world, of the dangers in store for humanity… For example, in Venezuela we are experiencing periods of drought never seen before, that are affecting the dams, which then affects our hydroelectric production,” Maduro continued.

At the summit, Maduro said that changing the capitalist system and advancing “towards a superior society, a human society which for us is socialism” is necessary to save the environment. He advocated ratifying the Kyoto protocol and increasing the demands on the countries which contaminate the most.

Published on Nov 29th 2009 at 9.10pm