'We don't have two planet earths,' Brazilian President tells COP28 Summit

DUBAI - Brazil, home to most of the Amazon rainforest, is ready to lead the way in climate protection, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told the COP28 conference on Friday, reported German news agency (dpa).

"We don't have two planet Earths," Lula told heads of state and governments gathered at the event, underscoring the urgent need to make faster progress and protect the "unique species of humanity".

Brazil has already significantly reduced deforestation in the Amazon and, according to Lula, aims to reduce it to zero by 2030.

Among comparable countries, Brazil has one of the most ambitious climate protection plans, while being ranked among the world's six largest emitters of greenhouse gas.

Brazil will host the COP30 UN Climate Conference in 2025 and is already insisting on a more ambitious course of action in Dubai, partly because it suffers from extreme droughts itself.

At the last climate conference in Egypt, Lula - shortly after his election and even before taking office -was celebrated by climate activists for his proactive stance on the issue.

The Amazon, the world's largest rainforest and home to 10 per cent of all known animal species, has been under threat for decades due to droughts, river pollution, fires and deforestation.

However, despite the decline, Brazil is still a long way from its declared goal of zero deforestation. - BERNAMA-dpa