“I don't want your hope, I want you to panic and feel the fear I feel every day. And I want you to act. I want you to act like your house is on fire. Because she is.”
Greta Thunberg at the World Economic Forum in Davos, 2019.
Fires of never-before-seen proportions are occurring in the Amazon, experts estimate that we have lost 15 thousand km² of vegetation this year alone mostly caused by illegal deforestation. We are all part of this problem, but also part of the solution and, faced with this reality, the panel “How is the business sector supporting the Amazon?”, promoted by CEBDS during New York Climate Week, shared good practices and provocations aimed at raising awareness and increasing ambition in the transition to a carbon-neutral economic and social model.
As we already said here on the blog, in order to carry out this transition, it is necessary we understand that production can coexist with environmental preservation and when we refer to productivity, it is not about the old concept that assumes that resources are infinite, but rather, recognizing their limits and purposes.
To discuss this relationship, CEBDS organized the event that it was attended by Marina Grossi, president of CEBDS; Tasso Azevedo, coordinator of Map Biomas; André Guimarães, Co-facilitator of the Brazil Climate, Forests and Agriculture Coalition and Executive Director of the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM); Alessandra Fajardo, Strategic Director of Environment and Engagement in Agriculture at Bayer Latin America; Luciana Villa Nova, Sustainability Manager at Natura Global; and Karine Bueno, Sustainability Director at Santander Brasil.
Marina Grossi opened the event by stating that the Brazilian business sector recognizes Brazil's advantages in relation to its natural resources: “We are a reference in renewable energy and we have great potential in relation to biodiversity, but we have much more to do”. As a response to this unprecedented moment, CEBDS, from Announcement from the Business Sector against Deforestation, started a movement so that companies and civil society have their voices heard by the government. Currently, 80 CEOs agree with the values and solutions presented in it.
André Guimarães described key values to avoid replicating the so-called colonizing and oppressive vision and stance on the Amazon: “We cannot replace a bad model with another bad model. The center of everything must be listening to the people and dialoguing in order to update their guidelines and commitments.”
Regarding deforestation, Tasso Azevedo stated that in 75% of cases it is discovered who was responsible and, if it occurs in protected areas, the number rises to 95%. Also, last year, deforestation was identified in less than 1% of properties, but remember that deforestation occurs in sufficient volume to cause all the damage that we recognize as changes in water regimes, worsening air quality, loss of habitat, worsening on Brazil's reputation, among others.
Agribusiness, generally seen as the “villain” of forest preservation, is highly dependent on the Amazon and is a key player in the solution. André Guimarães reported that 90% of Brazilian agriculture is not irrigated, depending entirely on the natural rainfall regime regulated by the Amazon. Furthermore, this frequency and volume of rain allows us to have two harvests a year in the Cerrado region, a very important factor in international competitiveness in the agricultural sector.
Alessandra Fajardo stated that instead of taking a passive stance of just buying emissions compensation bonds, Bayer decided to incorporate sustainability into its practices. She presented the 30/30/100 goals that constitute 30% of reduction in emissions of GHG in agriculture that is being applied through Bayer Carbon Initiative in partnership with EMBRAPA; 30% reduction in the environmental impact of the portfolio; and empowerment of 100 thousand small and medium producers of developing countries promoting sustainable solutions. In addition to meeting internal targets, the company will offset emissions from transport through the planting of trees (Revita Bayer Program) and has implemented traceability in its production chain.
The experienced Natura, present in the Amazon for 20 years, continues to set a good example with good practices, including the reforestation of an area equivalent to the size of the Netherlands and presenting a goal of zero net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2025. Luciana Villa Nova highlighted the importance of social inclusion of local communities, respect for traditional knowledge and being based on forest regeneration and conservation. Sharing the benefits produced by the chain with local producers helps them protect the forest, thus creating a positive cycle. He does 10 years that Natura has dedicated itself to awareness and education to value and sell their products, showing the benefits and richness of the biodiversity of Amazon products, nationally and internationally, creating a connection between consumers and the biome. Other strategies used by the company consist of monetizing its environmental impacts and monitoring the use of land, water and energy to consider them in decision-making and strategic planning. Finally, Luciana declared that the biggest lesson of all is to respect the local people and the limits of nature and that the Nature-Based Solutions are the future of companies.
Karine Bueno, from Santander, represented the financial sector in the webinar announcing the cooperation and mobilization that her company is carrying out with its traditional competitors, Itaú and Bradesco, aiming to collaboration for a sustainable economic model for the Amazon. Some of its initiatives include the creation of a financial structure to support sustainable agriculture, monitoring of the production chain and support on land regulatory issues in conjunction with legal consultancy. She reveals that despite still being in the initial phase of understanding the potential that the bioeconomy brings, she invites all sectors to engage with the same guidelines, such as Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD, learn more about the subject here).
“What should institutions accomplish?” was one of the questions from the public directed to André Guimarães, who pointed us in the following directions:
- Firstly, end deforestation;
- Secondly, respect indigenous rights and combat prejudice;
- Third, adopt the bioeconomy and efficient biosolutions;
- And, above all, adopt a new social contract between NGOs, governments, companies, civil society and academia.
You can also start planning your effective actions by reading the 10 Business Principles for a Sustainable Amazon, recently launched by Instituto Arapyaú.
If you were not inspired by these examples, and if this discussion has not yet started in your company, start with the following provocations made by Tasso Azevedo: “Don't avoid the Amazon. The best way to help is to do business with the Amazon, we will be bringing chances and opportunities to people […] the entire economy and health depends on the state of our biomes, especially the Amazon. What have you done to preserve our biomes?”, “What type of economic model can I adopt for the standing forest?”; and to finish: “How quickly do you want this transition? Do business innovatively and sustainably, and do it now.”
By Elissa Mitsuko Tokusato and Karen Tanaka
