Manaus, Brazil - Brazil's president said on Thursday that "gringos" should pay Amazon nations to prevent deforestation, insisting rich Western nations have caused much more past environmental destruction than the loggers and farmers who cut and burn trees in the world's largest tropical rain forest.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made the comments just before an Amazon summit in which delegates signed a declaration calling for financial help from the industrial world to halt the deforestation that causes global warming.
"I don't want any gringo asking us to let an Amazon resident die of hunger under a tree," Silva said. "We want to preserve, but they will have to pay the price for this preservation because we never destroyed our forest like they mowed theirs down a century ago."
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In Brazil, the word "gringo" does not only mean American, but generally refers to anyone from the northern hemisphere.
Generally refers to anyone from the northern hemisphere Silva convened the meeting to form a unified position on deforestation and climate change for seven Amazon nations ahead of the Dec. 7-15 Copenhagen climate summit. But the only leaders who attended were Guyana's Bharrat Jagdeo and France's Nicolas Sarkozy, representing French Guiana, prompting top Silva aides and environmentalists to admit the gathering will have a muted impact.
Other nations sent vice presidents or ministers, and the presidents of Colombia and Venezuela embarrassed Brazil by canceling at the last minute.
Sarkozy supported a recent proposal by Silva to create a financial transaction tax that would be used to build a fund to help developing nations protect their forests. Details will be discussed in Copenhagen.
Despite the lackluster summit showing, Silva aides said it was important to drive home a message that the Amazon is home to 30 million people, most of whom depend on the forest's natural riches to eke out a living.
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