MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazilian Climate Change Minister says Milei's decision goes against the world's efforts

Those pulling out of the Paris Agreement will not go unpunished, Silva warned

Brazil's Environment and Climate Change Minister Marina Silva said Thursday that Argentina pulling its delegation from the Conference of Parties 29 (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, was “a process that goes against the demands that the world is making.” In her view, however, President Javier Milei's decision will not interfere with the ongoing negotiations to have the most advanced countries further finance the adaptation of the less developed ones to the environmental agreements, Agencia Brasil reported.

 “All societies are paying a very high price for climate change and every country that refuses to do its homework is contributing to the worsening of this situation which is damaging people's lives, agricultural systems, industrial production systems at all levels,” Silva went on while insisting that the matter would not interfere with the climate negotiations at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro between Nov. 18 and 19.

“The G20 has already made the progress we had hoped for. We were able to discuss everything from payment for ecosystem services to taxing the super-rich. We were able to bring together the climate agenda and the finance agenda at a historic meeting in Washington,” the minister also pointed out.

“Many people may even agree with positions on the issue of customs, but they don't want to see their families' lives threatened; they don't want to see their businesses damaged,” Silva also argued. “So those who are pulling out of the Paris Agreement and refusing to do their homework, for the benefit of life, for the benefit of the planet and for themselves, will not go unpunished when it comes to charging their societies.”

Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin also regretted the Argentine president's decision and condemned Milei's denialist view. “Science is here to help humanity. If you look at medicine and public health, for example, how did we double life expectancy in the world in almost 80 years? It was treated with water, vaccines, and antibiotics. Science is meant to help humanity.”

In addition, the issue might have economic repercussions for Argentina, bringing down its GDP, Alckmin warned. “But that won't change state relations, which aren't personal,” he further explained.