ADVERTISING

Latest Photo Galleries

Signs of Tension Signs of Tension

Published on 04/11/2016

Rio: a City in Metamorphosis Rio: a City in Metamorphosis

Published on 11/19/2015

Brazilian Markets

17h30

Bovespa

+0,32% 128.106

16h43

Gold

0,00% 117

17h00

Dollar

+0,68% 5,0140

16h30

Euro

+0,49% 2,65250

ADVERTISING

What about that Forest Code, Madame Merkel?

05/11/2012 - 19h26

Advertising

CLAUDIO ANGELO
FROM BRASILIA

The administration of Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff is getting worried about the controversy surrounding important heads of state at the Rio+20 conference. Yesterday, the French leader François "Mr. Normal" Hollande and Russian Vladimir Putin confirmed that they would come, bringing the total number of leaders in attendance at the conference to 99. But no one ever doubted their participation: one of Hollande's main electoral platforms was green development and the transition to an economy that uses less carbon fuels; Putin is a strategic ally of the BRIC countries and didn't have much of a choice.

The absent leaders are the real problem, especially German chancellor Angela Merkel, the most recent person of power who has said that she won't come to Rio, but reminds us everyday that her Minister of the Environment, Norbert Röttgen, will "probably" come.

One U.N. official suggested to this reporter that Merkel is not coming because of the Forest Code that was just passed in the Brazilian congress. The chancellor, who is losing one local election after another, does not want to seen by the German public as being associated with forest-killers like us.

A German negotiator and the embassy are quick to deny this claim, saying that of course Frau Merkel's decision has nothing to do with the internal politics of Brazil. Both said that Germany "is following with extreme interest" the latest developments in this forest soap opera.

The real reason for her absence is most likely the agenda of the conference itself, which was weak to begin with and continues to be watered down, without any chance for real success that can be presented to society as such. If that's the case, then without Merkel, Barak Obama and David Cameron, Rio+20 is turning into a showcase for development policymakers from emerging countries. On the other hand, maybe that says more about the future of the world than a gathering of imperial powers and crumbling ex-empires.

It's not for the prestige of Angela Merkel that we should worry about her absence. She also has considerable sway in international environmental negotiations. When she was the Minister of the Environment in 1995, she had the cold-blooded will to close an agreement to combat climate change that was proposed two years after the Kyoto Protocol. Those who were present at the negotiation say that is was a tense session that claimed to have consensus even though 19 countries opposed the measure.

Merkel's political talents will be missed at Rio+20. But apparently she is too busy slashing government spending in the Euro zone.

Translated by ANNA EDGERTON

You have been successfully subscribed. Thanks!

Close

Are you interested in news from Brazil?

Subscribe to our English language newsletter, delivered to your inbox every working day, and keep up-to-date with the most important news from Brazil.

Cancel