Amazon Rainforest Countries Hold Summit in Colombia Ahead of COP30 in Brazil

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The most prominent events this week: Amazon rain forests Countries hold a summit, Mercosur and Canada Restart commercial conversations, and Millie family scandal Argentina rocks.

Last Friday, the leaders of eight countries met in the Amazon rainforest in Bogota to get top. This has been the fifth event that the ACTO Cooperation Treaty Organization has held since its establishment in 1995 – and the second in the past three years.

The latest environmental ambitions of Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Brazilian President Luise Inosio Lula Da Silva, who hosted in 2023, confirmed.

But more summits do not necessarily mean more results: at the event 2023, Brazil’s goal was banned in obtaining all the eight countries for signing a goal from any of the cases of forest removal by countries that were received by Bolivia, Chanda and Surinam. (The remaining Acto members are Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.)

Instead, this meeting ended with a mysterious pledge to prevent the destruction of forests from reaching unlimited “point of nobility”. Some scientists warn that after the Amazon reaches a threshold ranging from 20 percent to 25 percent, herbal lands will become more drought. Conservation groups estimate that at least 13 percent to 17 percent of the original rainforests have already been lost.

Two years later, the number of forest removal from some major Amazon countries worsened. In 2024, the Amazon forests in Colombia jumped about 50 percent compared to the previous year, although it remains much lower than the highest level in the country in 2017, according to the monitoring of the Andes Amazon program. In Bolivia, the removal of the Amazon forests reached a record level in 2024, according to the same project.

Each of these countries is home to the tenth or less rainforest. In Brazil, the home of about 60 percent of the forests, the Amazon forest removal decreased by about 17 percent in 2024 compared to 2023, according to the Mapbiomas Research Group.

The reflection of Colombia under progress is remarkable in particular, given the ecosystem announced by Petro. Experts say the jump in the removal of forests is linked to the recent collapse of the ceasefire deals in Petro with armed groups.

One of these groups, Estado Mayor Central, was banned in 2022 forests in the areas where it was active as part of the talks with the government. Previously, the group was lenient for illegal registration. But this truce has been resolved into clashes and names of prisoners.

Bolivia’s height in the removal of forests was less surprising. President Louis Arses did not make the Amazon Protection a top priority. The term ARCE will end in November, and none of the conservative candidates in the surface flow elections for his successor to his interest in preserving forests, said the Bolivian environment scientist Marelos Benia said EL EsCTADOR.

“We had no president who really proves that they were concerned about the environment and the Amazon,” she said. Peña-Claros is part of a multinational committee of scientists looking at Amazon with funding from international donors. In 2023, ACTO countries suggested creating their own scientific panel that would produce data on Amazon, but it was not achieved.

At the ACTO meeting last week, Petro and the nominee of the indigenous people who were present at the other Amazon countries urged to adhere to banning fossil fuel production in the forest. But some countries, including Brazil, Ecuador, and Venezuela, refused. Brazil is in particular pushing forward with wide plans to expand oil production throughout the country; Rystead Energy consultations indicate that the country’s oil production will rise by 10 percent this year alone.

The Acto made some progress at the top. After the organization pledged in 2023 to escalate cooperation against organized crime in the Amazon, Lula announced last week that a new police station for international cooperation will open next month in the Brazilian city of Manus. He called on other leaders to visit.

Perhaps in the most notable news that appeared from Bogota, the country of the test announced its support for a 125 billion dollar forestry framework. Brazil hopes to officially launch the plan at the United Climate Summit, which will host it in November, known as COP30.

The proposal in business was for two years. You will witness that public and private investors collect funds in an interest -bearing portfolio, with part of the protection of benefits financing for tropical forests. The recipient countries will need to maintain the removal of forests less than a certain level to receive payments. In addition to interest, investors will receive their money, after a certain period of time.

The latest version of the plan approved by ACTO also includes the role of expanded governance of the indigenous population and new requirements that countries protect other types of forests – not only rainforest – in order to receive payments. The proposed bases prevent countries from using the fund to invest in oil and gas.

Getting Amazon on board the Forest Fund box before COP30 is a basic step towards securing a wider global purchase. But moreover, the little progress in the Acto initiatives at the summit has thwarted the conservative specialists.

“Acto has to move more quickly,” said Benia Clared.

Friday, August 29, to Friday, September 5: The Equatorial Tuna Committee between America continues its annual meeting in Panama.

Monday, September 1: Guyana is a general election contract.

Tuesday, September 2: The trial of former Brazilian President Gere Bolsonaro claims that her attempt was a coup in the country’s Supreme Court.

Wednesday, September 3: Jamaica is a general election contract.

Millie family scandal. The audio recordings published on the Argentine broadcast channel Carnafal Last week, she was distinguished by an official in the government of President Javier Miley, who claims that Miley’s sister, Kareena Miley – a member of the Council of Ministers – was distinguished in a bribery plan that includes government funds for drugs for the disabled.

Soon the official who heard in the records, Diego Spaniolo, who was running the National Disability Agency. Millie did not immediately address the allegations even more than a week after they appeared in the light, saying at the Wednesday night gathering that Spaniolo says “a lie”. The scandal may affect the Miley party’s offer in the renewal elections in October.

Maduro threats. Sofer Saber continued between the United States and Venezuela this week, as Venezuela responded to the deployment of the US Navy off its coast by sending its own warships to its coast.

American officials who were not named the media have told the publication that publishing aims to respond to drug trafficking. But he also refers to hostility to the administration of the Unified Socialist Party of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, which US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls illegal.

Previous US sanctions and military action threats failed to remove Maduro. But there may be a different danger to the government slowly boiling Caracas records Last week: Single -time party members are disappointed with internal repression to combat democracy in Maduro.

On August 8, the security forces detained a well -known human rights defender, Martha Lea Gragalis, who worked with the government of Maduro, Hugo Chavez. In recent months, Grajales has been aware of political prisoners – until it became one.

The incident ignited a reaction even between government governments, and Grajale was released on August 12. “There is no credibility confusion campaign against a base that has spent more than 25 years at work along with the needs of local communities,” Betancourt wrote.

Paraguay. Last week, Paraguay celebrated its national folklore day, which is usually characterized by music and traditional dance. In recent years, a new popular group has gained popularity in the country: Las Paraguayas, a group of all parts of the prophecy consisting of daughters, and the grandchildren of famous popular singers.

The group has its roots on the National Folklore Day in 2016, when a video clip of many women went together. Now, they gained national importance – on Sunday, they released a new album. Voice consensus and vocal guitar give a “new and emotional look” for popular music Paraguay, the newspaper ABC color books.

Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alkain is receiving the keys to the city from the mayor of Mexico Clara Brugada during a ceremony in the Old City Hall in Mexico on August 28.Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images

Latin American countries continue to diversify their commercial partners in response to US President Donald Trump’s tariff. This week, the South American Trade Bloc Mercosur said it reopened free trade negotiations with Canada. The talks were intermittent since early 2010. This announcement was announced by Canada and Brazil, which works as the head of the Mercosur roundabout.

A group of Brazilian business leaders is scheduled to travel to Canada between September 10 and 12. Meanwhile, both countries are seeking to negotiate the definitions they face from Washington. Brazil continues to face a 50 percent duty on many products, while Canada faces a 35 percent essential line, with some exceptions.

Brazil is also trying to expand trade relations with Mexico after years of flirting with this idea. A delegation of senior Brazilian officials traveled to Mexico City for Economic Diaspora on Wednesday, signing intentional statements to cooperate on biofuels and enhance broad export.

The two countries have two current economic cooperation agreements, signed in 2002. One reduces or removes definitions of about 12 percent of bilateral trade; The other defines the free trade of some vehicles and spare parts.

In particular, the Brazil Export Promotion Agency calculated that Mexico can buy more Brazilian furniture, marble, agricultural machines and dental equipment. Brazil sold about $ 455 million of these products to the United States last year. This number is expected to decrease dramatically due to the Trump tariff.