Lula’s election victory is a chance to highlight a significant solution to deforestation
Brazil’s President-Elect, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is being warmly invited to attend the Food4Climate Pavilion at this, second week of the UN climate summit, COP27, to celebrate the return to genuine rainforest protection commitments and to reflect together on the many ways food system change can contribute to this.
“It’s great news that climate action and the protection of the Amazon are finally back on the Brazilian political agenda. We congratulate President-Elect Lula for his past and present commitments to zero deforestation,” Raphaël Podselver, spokesperson for the Food4Climate Pavilion, said.
“We want to seize the opportunity of his planned presence at COP27 to jointly discuss the importance of food system change for forest protection,” Podselver added.
Large swathes of the Amazon rainforest continue to be cleared for cattle grazing and the production of soy for animal feed.
“We hope that the new President recognizes that the Amazon rainforest will continue to be endangered by the enormous demand for land to support the corresponding enormous demand for animal-based products,” Podselver said.
“A transition to more plant-rich nutrition, especially in the Global North where consumption of animal products is excessive, will ease the pressure on the Amazon as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally,” he added.
Prior to his election victory, Lula said he planned to attend COP27 to form an alliance with Indonesia and Congo, along with other countries to protect global forests. Lula’s attendance at COP27 was confirmed by his party when the results came through confirming his victory.
“We wish his efforts at COP27 success and stress that any alliance must acknowledge, first and foremost, that the food system is responsible for much of the world’s deforestation,” Podselver said.
“We would be honored to welcome President-Elect Lula at the Food4Climate Pavilion to discuss how food system change, including plant-rich diets, can bring great benefits for forests and people alike.”
More about the Pavilion
The Food4Climate Pavilion – supported by a coalition of NGOs, think-tanks and commercial companies – plans to highlight the critical yet overlooked need to transform our global food system to tackle climate change.
Science shows that climate targets will not be met without urgent food system change including adopting agroecological practices, shifting to more plant-rich diets, and reducing food loss and waste.
Throughout COP27, delegates from nearly 200 UN member states have been able to attend daily talks and network with NGOs, the commercial industry, academic institutions and researchers at the Pavilion.
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Notes to Editors
For media inquiries, email Raphaël Podselver at [email protected]
About the Food4Climate Pavilion
Food4Climate Pavilion will aim to present plant-rich diets as a key mitigation and adaptation solution to the climate crisis at this year’s COP27 conference in Egypt in November.
The Pavilion’s diverse stakeholders highlight the rich plurality of actors and factors shaping our food systems. With a strong focus on Just Transition, the program will explore multiple perspectives and concrete ways to create inclusive mechanisms for leveraging the potential of plant-rich diets to make our food systems more sustainable and equitable.
