Sir, – The Amazon is a vital ecosystem for the planet. It is neither a resource for Amazonian countries to dispose of, nor should they be expected to bear the burden of protecting the ecosystem alone.
Current national boundaries cannot deny our interest is ensuring the Amazon is preserved or absolve us of responsibility to take action to preserve it, nor do they insulate the Amazon from action by the global community.
An international scheme to support Amazonian countries to preserve the Amazon is urgently needed.
Examples such as the EU set-aside scheme exist under which Europe and other regions could sponsor parts of the Amazon with countries paid to preserve it combined with mechanisms to verify and monitor .
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International co-operation is needed to preserve the Amazon and the very air we breath. We need to put our money where our mouths are. – Yours, etc,
DAVID GEARY,
Gros Islet,
St Lucia.
Sir, – The European Union signs a multimillion euro beef deal with several South American countries. Farmers in at least one of these countries burn the rainforest to make more grazing land available. The EU is collectively apoplectic. – Yours, etc,
PETER DECLAN
O’HALLORAN,
Belturbet,
Co Cavan.
Sir, – The terms “climate change” and “global warming” make the conditions they seek to describe sound benign, although the environmental changes we have already caused are clearly very serious, with the potential to be devastating for all of us.
Why don’t we relabel them “climate crisis” and “global scorching”, which in my view is much closer to the reality and might focus more attention on the pressing need to reverse the course we are on before it really is too late. – Yours, etc,
WILLIAM FLEMING,
Carlow.