Tribune. On Thursday, April 29, an international team published an alarming study in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change. She tells us that the Brazilian Amazon has released more carbon than it has absorbed in the past ten years.
According to scientists, this constitutes a “Major and unprecedented change” in the history of the world. Because of human activity, the Amazon – which provides over 20% of our planet’s oxygen – is literally dying. And we with it.
It is urgent to take action. Before it’s too late. How? ‘Or’ What ? Starting by simply abandoning the trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and Mercosur [Brésil, Argentine, Urugay, Paraguay], which, despite strong citizen and political opposition, is still on the table.
First, because we do not sign an agreement with a country whose leader violates human rights and is based on its environmental commitments. Then, because the very content of this agreement is a climate catastrophe: it will accelerate the deforestation of the Amazon, destroy biodiversity and explode greenhouse gas emissions.
An “additional protocol”
An expert study, chaired by economist Stefan Ambec and set up by the French government, concluded that the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur would accelerate deforestation by at least 25% per year over the years. six years due only to the increase in beef production resulting from this agreement. This represents the disappearance of 36,000 km2 of forest each year.
At the same time, this agreement also threatens the survival of indigenous peoples, peasants and small farms, both in Europe and in South America.
Instead of abandoning it, we learn that you are redoubling your efforts to save this agreement. At the same time, the European Commission has just been pinned down by the EU mediator for maladministration by concluding this trade agreement without having properly carried out the impact study on sustainable development.
We learn, finally, that a “Additional protocol” to the treaty as well as “Split” of the treaty to facilitate the approval of the commercial component would be under study in order to circumvent the mixed nature of this agreement and the opposition of certain member states. This is clearly unacceptable.
To fight against global warming and establish Europe’s strategic autonomy, the generalized free trade policy of recent decades must be revised. Urgently. We are in no way opposed to trade, or even to the negotiation of a trade agreement in principle, but we believe that today we must put European trade policy at the service of ecological transition and more justice. social.
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