Thread by @PIIE

THREAD: Senior fellow @bollemdb is testifying in front of @houseforeign on the moral imperative of preserving the Amazon rainforest. Watch at the link below and follow along for highlights of her testimony: (1/) foreignaffairs.house.gov/2019/9/preserv…

@bollemdb @HouseForeign While global warming can be blamed for the Amazon fires, the fires also represent a more specific government policy failure over many years as Brazilian public agencies that are supposed to curb man-made fires have been deliberately weakened. (2/)

@bollemdb @HouseForeign The fires in Brazil are a classic case of a “tragedy of the commons,” a term that describes what happens when shared resources are exploited by users pursuing their own livelihoods at the expense of the common good. (3/)

@bollemdb @HouseForeign The Amazon fires are not just a “tragedy” but an opportunity for the governments of Brazil and the United States to stop denying climate change and cooperate on strategies to preserve the rainforest and develop ways to sustainably use its natural resources. (4/)

@bollemdb @HouseForeign The following are major policy initiatives different stakeholders in the Amazon rainforest can undertake to preserve and protect the region: (5/)

@bollemdb @HouseForeign United States:
🌴Rejoin the Paris Agreement and establish joint action plan with Brazil to preserve and restore the rainforest
🌴Advise Brazilian government on land use regulations.
(6/)

@bollemdb @HouseForeign Brazil:
🌴Update & enforce land use & property ownership rights/regulations to protect local & indigenous subsistence farming/cattle grazing while cracking down on illegal activities i.e logging & mining
🌴Lead international effort for Amazon preservation, creating jobs (7/)

@bollemdb @HouseForeign International community:
🌴Work with Brazil to revive and expand the Amazon Fund to encourage international donations to invest in sustainable rainforest practices
(8/)

@bollemdb @HouseForeign The rise in deforestation precedes President Bolsonaro’s electoral victory. But the dismantling of environmental agencies under his watch & his rhetoric on environmental issues have emboldened farmers, loggers, & others to engage in predatory behavior in the rainforest. (9/)

@bollemdb @HouseForeign Although the Amazon fires should be condemned, it's time for the international community to leave aside justified grievances with the Bolsonaro administration & cooperate to provide the resources to conserve & develop the planet’s largest continuous rainforest. (10/)

@bollemdb @HouseForeign Read @bollemdb's testimony and watch the hearing on preserving the Amazon rainforest, happening now, here: (11/11)
foreignaffairs.house.gov/2019/9/preserv…