Clearing Lungs To Discuss Breathing: Amazon Deforestation Paves Way For Earth Summit
- IJLLR Journal
- 3 days ago
- 1 min read
Bhavya Sree D, Sairam Dommetti & Ambati Rohan, Christ Academy Institute of Law
ABSTRACT
The decision to clear significant sections of Amazon rainforest to construct infrastructure for an international environmental summit focused on climate change and biodiversity protection is paradoxical. Through rigorous analysis, the paper reveals how approximately 2,800 hectares of primary and secondary rainforest were destroyed despite viable alternatives in already- developed areas, creating a fundamental disconnect between environmental rhetoric and operational practice. The study quantifies the environmental impact, estimating carbon emissions at 1.2 million tons of CO2 equivalent and identifying the permanent loss of biodiversity. Legal analysis demonstrates how procedural shortcuts undermined environmental impact assessments and indigenous consultation rights, challenging principles of non-regression in environmental law. The article contrasts indigenous conservation leadership, which has proven effective in maintaining biodiversity and carbon sequestration, with the marginalization of indigenous perspectives in environmental governance decisions. Beyond physical impacts, the paper examines the symbolic contradiction of destroying the "lungs of our planet" to facilitate discussions on its protection, exemplifying what political scientists term "performative environmentalism." The study concludes by proposing comprehensive reforms, including mandatory environmental impact assessments for diplomatic events, codification of non-regression principles, strengthened indigenous territorial rights, and institutional innovations that ensure alignment between environmental values and actions. Without such reforms, international environmental governance risks becoming an elaborate performance that legitimizes continued degradation rather than catalyzing meaningful protection, undermining the credibility and effectiveness of global conservation efforts.
Keywords: Amazon deforestation, Environmental governance, Indigenous conservation, Climate diplomacy, Policy contradiction.
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