Bolivian president says capitalism puts nature at risk

Bolivian President Luis Arce has stated that capitalism puts humanity and nature at risk. The Bolivian leader’s statement was given during the Amazon Summit, promoted by ACTO (Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization), in Belém, Pará, this Tuesday (8.Aug.2023).

When criticizing capitalism, the Bolivian president stated that the production of surpluses, an economic term that refers to the positive difference between the sale value and the production cost of a product, seeks “extract the greatest amount of surplus labor without considering the conditions of exploitation and, at the same time, exploit nature, thinking that [ela] is infinite”.

According to Arce, capitalism is not capable of reproducing itself by means “economic”. Therefore, the systemresorts to original forms of accumulation that, in the 21st century, translate as usurpation”. For the Bolivian leader, the Amazon is facing an economic model based on maximizing growth, which prioritizes short-term interests and does not consider long-term environmental and social consequences.

“[Karl] Marx maintained that capitalism had arrived in the 20th century through exploitation and bloodshed. Now, in the 21st century, everything seems to indicate that this way of taking over people’s natural resources is still in force. That is why imperialism is interested in militarizing the Amazon directly and indirectly”, these.

During his speech, Arce also stated that the exploitation of nature is carried out mainly by “so-called developed countries of the West”. He also said that the act affects “profoundly affect populations, food systems and livelihoods”.

The president of Bolivia stated that the country rejects “emphatically” any attempt to exploit the Amazon by “foreign powers”. He also defended that the “industrialized countries that have disproportionately influenced the emission of greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and other pollutants worldwide”. must take responsibility for the climate crisis and make a greater contribution to solving the problem.

“The fact that the Amazon is such an important territory does not imply that all responsibility for the consequences and effects of the climate crisis has to fall into our hands and our economies because this global climate crisis was not generated by us”these.

AMAZON SUMMIT

The meeting, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), is attended by leaders and authorities from countries that have the Amazon as part of their territory. In addition to Brazil, the biome is located in part of Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Ecuador.

The 8 countries participating in the Summit are part of ACTO (Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization), a body created in 1978 that encourages sustainable development and social inclusion in the Region. The 2023 meeting is the 4th between the parties to the treaty and the 1st since 2009.

The event started on Tuesday (Aug 8) and will run until Aug 4 (Aug 9). In a protocol speech, Lula stated that the meeting aims to promote sustainable development in the region, in addition to ensuring the place of the Amazonian countries on the international agenda.

Read more about the Amazon Summit: