At a meeting held last Tuesday (09/29) in Buenos Aires, the Environment ministers of Mercosur, Bolivia, Chile and Venezuela supported the proposal from the Brazilian minister of Environment, Carlos Minc, in which projects that aim to aid in the recovery of degraded soils and desertified lands must be considered initiatives to mitigate the effects of global warming.
The agreement between the ministers makes it easier for the issue to be discussed at United Nations Convention on Climate Change (COP-15), to be held in December in Copenhagen (Denmark).
When talking about the importance of promoting "solidarity actions" to poor countries, especially those in Africa, Minc claimed that about 1/3 of the "Green Fund" (which might be created during COP-15) should be used in projects for the adaptation and mitigation of degraded areas by climate change.
To combat the effects of desertification, the Brazilian Ministry of Environment is coordinating a national pact for building a sustainable development agenda for the semi-arid region, which includes 11 Brazilian states. The 1st National Meeting to Combat Desertification is one of MMA's actions. It is expected to occur in March 2010, in Petrolina (PE) and Juazeiro (BA).
Redes Sociais