On Sunday, August 7, the new president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, was sworn in along with his vice-presidential ticket, Francia Márquez. The event, in the Plaza de Bolívar, in Bogotá, was loaded with important symbolism that includes the Sword used by Simon Bolivar in the born of the ages.
In addition to a forceful speech about the course that his government will have in the next four years. One of the issues that Petro highlighted the most in his speech was the concern about climate change and environmental problems in the world.
In his speech, he criticized the large emission of greenhouse gases by the richest countries in the world. And he added that one of the areas most affected by this phenomenon is the Amazon jungle.
That is why, he specified, that although the population that lives in the Amazon becomes the caretaker of the forest, funds are needed to recover it. His proposal is to receive contributions from the agreed climate funds.
“I propose to humanity to exchange external debt for internal expenses to save and recover our jungles, forests and wetlands. Reduce the external debt and we will spend the excess to save human life,” he assured.
Likewise, he made a call to the International Monetary Fund. “If the IMF helps to exchange debt for concrete action against the climate crisis, we will have a prosperous new economy and a new life for humanity,” he said.
It should be remembered that one of Petro’s campaign flags was the protection of the environment. Along these lines, he maintains his position on progressively curbing the extraction of oil and carbon to consolidate an energy transition in the country.
