Does Brazil Have The Responsibility Of The Rest Of The World To Maintain Oxygen-generating Amazon Rainforest, And Should It Be Compensated By Other Countries?

Brazil implemented stringent restrictions in 2008 to preserve the Amazon. However, a new government took office in 2019, with far-right Jair Bolsonaro as President of Brazil. He immediately started aggressively promoting agricultural activities in the Amazon, while taking a more permissive stance on illicit deforestation. This is entirely economic, with Bolsonaro acknowledging worldwide demand for commodities like cattle, soy, sugar, and palm oil. The Amazon rainforest is an asset that he can exploit to boost Brazil’s GDP — but this comes with significant environmental dangers.

Brazil is often accused of the atrocities that occur in the Amazon as a result of this. Is this, however, the case? From my perspective, I believe that we should rather qualify our statements. To begin, if we are to criticize Brazil, we must distinguish between the Brazilian government and politicians and the Brazilian people. While some may profit from capitalism and what occurs in the Amazon, I believe it is not in the locals’ best interests to destroy not just such a vast region of natural resources, but also their cultural legacy. On the other hand, if we are to blame other politicians, it will almost certainly be those who practice capitalist economics and who, caught in a race to “do the best, produce the most, make the most money…”, are increasing demand for materials and resources and thus significantly deforesting the Amazon. On a lesser scale, the western way of life is also to blame: excessive consumerism, extensive import-export, and so forth.

As a result, I believe that all nations should be held responsible not just for halting deforestation, but also for fostering a more green and nature-friendly environment inside their borders. This is not only about Brazil or the Amazon since global warming and other natural catastrophes are a very real concern. While forecasts are possible, we truly don’t know how much time we have until our previous errors become irreversible. We should maintain an optimistic outlook and envision a brighter future for ourselves and future generations. To do this, we must act quickly.