As Cop 28 in Dubai draws to a close, Chef Raoni sent a message to the French in the fight to save the Amazon this Sunday, December 10.
The leader of the Amazonian Kayapo community, Raoni Metuktire, aged over 90, a figure in the fight for the preservation of the Amazon, spoke at the microphone of France Info this Sunday, December 10 on the hope he has regarding the Cop 28 agreements which ends this Tuesday, December 12.
He notably sent a message: “I really want this to work, so that we can have air to breathe and a good quality of life for everyone.”, he first said . He also spoke about the new regulations which will be added to those existing in France, from January on the origin of food products.
The chef drew a parallel between the consumption of agricultural goods and the exploitation of resources that seriously damage the Amazon rainforest, namely soy, meat and wood. Consequently, he asks the French to consume locally: “Take advantage of products near you,” he says. It also calls on producers to exploit land that can withstand the effects.
“Consume local products! And you who plant soy and raise livestock, in Brazil or France, go raise livestock or plant soy on land that is already deforested. Stop cutting down more trees for new livestock and new plantations, take advantage of already deforested land. Plant your seeds there and raise your livestock, and don’t touch any more protected land!”, he says.
He also recalled the responsibility of business leaders in safeguarding the environment: “All business leaders, businessmen, must put money into protecting forests, against deforestation, to the protection of rivers. The more they pollute, the more money they have to put into protecting the forest.”
Chief Raoni also shared his satisfaction that deforestation in the Amazon has reached its lowest level in eight years. Good news but which “is not the end of (s)our fight”, as he specifies. The man recalls his objective set with the president of Brazil to put an end to deforestation in 2030. The indigenous leader does not intend to rest before achieving this result. He also shared his concern after the election of Javier Milei in the Argentine presidential election, who according to him is “a new Bolsonaro”.