Lula: “Taking care of the forest is more profitable than cutting it down”

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will host Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Planalto Palace during an official visit this Friday, May 3rd. For this reason, the Brazilian leader was interviewed by the Japanese press this Tuesday (30), when he talked about issues that interest both countries, including the cooperation to preserve the Amazon Forest.

“I hope Japan shares with Brazil the forest preservation policy we want to establish. Keeping a forest standing costs a lot of money. And, for this to happen, those who live under the tree canopy must be taken into consideration. We must ensure to these people that taking care of the forest is more profitable for them than cutting down the trees. It is in this aspect that I think Japan can make a significant contribution,” highlighted Lula to the Japanese press.

Recovering degraded areas of forest in the country will be the theme of the meeting scheduled for this Thursday (2), in which President Lula and the Brazilian Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Fávaro, will meet with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), expected to announce investments in this segment. “That is, instead of cutting down trees, we will plant trees. Because agriculture in Brazil is very strong and our business people and workers know that the more we decarbonize agriculture, the more chances there will be to sell our products abroad and the healthier the food we eat will be,” argued the President.

Lula also expressed his desire to expand trade with the Asian country. “Commercial relations between Brazil and Japan are small if we consider that the two countries together have a population of 300 million inhabitants. We believe Brazil is an investment opportunity for Japan, especially in terms of energy transition,” he stated.

Check out the main parts of President Lula’s interview:

FOREIGN AFFAIRS — I came back to the Presidency with the goal of recovering not only Brazil’s internal democracy but also the good relationships the country always had. Brazil is a country that does not have any disputes with any other country. Here in South America, we are considered a peace zone. In these less than 14 months, I have already held meetings in the European Union, with all of Latin America, and with over 60 countries. I met with 54 countries from the African Union at the African Union. I met with the G20, with the BRICS, with the CARICOM, which gathers all the Caribbean countries, 15 in total. I had a meeting with CELAC, which gathers all of the countries from South America and the Caribbean, a total of 33 countries. So I have met collectively with more country presidents in this year and four months than I had met in the eight years before [as President].

G20, COP AND BRICS — In our relationship with the G20, Brazil intends to humanize politicians a little. Humanize bureaucracy a little — because it is huge in the world. And see if human beings can become “less algorithm” and “more humane”, more fraternal, more solidary, more tender with other human beings. We do not need violence; we need a lot of peace, a lot of tenderness, a lot of love. So that we can build this perfect world everyone dreams about. We want to hold the COP in the Amazon so that the Amazon can speak to the world. And next year we will have the BRICS in Brazil, too. So there are several international meetings we need to take advantage of to try and humanize our minds and our hearts.

CLIMATE — These international forums must be improved, because we frequently decide on important things which are not put into practice. Take the example of the Kyoto Protocol: wonderful, extraordinary, but no one ever put it into practice. Take the Paris Agreement: extraordinary, but no one ever put into practice. Why is it that these agreements and protocols are never put into practice? Why? When tackling the environmental issue, since we are submitted to the same air, the same ocean streams, decisions should never come from a National State. Rather, they should come from a world governance. I mean, you make a decision on something important regarding the climate and it becomes every State’s obligation to put it into practice – Japan’s, Brazil’s, China’s, the United States’, everybody, regardless of what these countries think individually. What matters is that it was approved, so everybody must follow, which is the only way to save the planet.

TRADE RELATIONS — I can affirm that the Japanese who dared come to Brazil in search of opportunities have contributed (and continue to contribute) to be what we are today. Commercial relations between Brazil and Japan are small if we consider that the two countries together have a population of 300 million inhabitants. In the past we had a trade flow of 21 billion dollars, and today it has dropped to 11 billion dollars. Our trade flow has reduced and that is not good. First because Brazil is a country with great potential. Secondly, because with all the information we have, we know that although Japan is a rich country, the Japanese economy has been a little stagnated for some time. And we believe Brazil is an investment opportunity for Japan, especially in terms of energy transition.

THE AMAZON — Japan was one of the first countries to contribute with money for the Amazon Fund to help take care of the forest. And we do not wish to turn the Amazon into humanity’s sanctuary. What we do want is to share the Amazon’s biodiversity riches with the world so that scientists from all over the world can help us make use of its biodiversity riches to benefit the millions of Brazilians who live in the Amazon. These people must benefit from keeping the forest standing. Because keeping a forest standing is costly. Brazil is committed to reaching zero deforestation by 2030.

DEGRADED AREAS — Brazil has a policy of not only preserving the forests we have today: we are committed with the recuperation of 40 million hectares of degraded land with new reforestation projects. So in this aspect, Brazil presents itself as highly capable of building partnerships with other countries. And we want to do this with Japan. On Thursday, I will meet with the Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Fávaro, and with this bank called JICA, which will announce investments for the recuperation of degraded areas in Brazil. That is, instead of cutting down trees, we will plant trees. Because agriculture in Brazil is very strong and our business people and workers know that the more we decarbonize agriculture, the more chances there will be to sell our products abroad and the healthier the food we eat will be.

SOUTH AMERICA — The rich world promised in 2009, in Copenhagen, an annual investment of 100 billion dollars for countries who preserved the forest. We are still waiting for this money. We will have another COP, this issue will be discussed, and I hope that Japan can be a partner of the countries who have forests. Here in South America, we are eight countries with quite a lot of forest. There is Brazil, there is Venezuela, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana and Suriname. So we need resources in order to take this issue of the energy transition seriously.

VISIT OF THE PRIME MINISTER — I am glad that the Japanese Prime Minister is coming to visit Brazil. We have other converging issues. We are members of a group called the G4, which advocates for changes in the UN Security Council. Brazil, Japan, Germany and India are part of this group. We want not only to participate as permanent members of the Security Council but also advocate for its expansion to include other countries so that it can become more up-to-date in terms of geopolitics, something that the United Nations lacks today. So for all these reasons, the visit of the Prime Minister is very important. And also because of the meeting he will have in São Paulo with Brazilian and Japanese business people.

PREDICTABILITY — Regarding bioenergy, Brazil has an opportunity, a unique opportunity, I would say, in the 21st century. First, because Brazil is a country with a stabilized economy. During the electoral campaign, I used to say that, in any country, everyone wants these things: you need political stability, you need economic stability, you need fiscal stability, you need social stability and you need predictability about what will happen in the world. And Brazil offers all of those. We have the desire to transform Brazil into one of the six major world economies. And so I think this approximation between Brazil and Japan is very important.