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2024, the Year the World Turned Its Eyes to the Amazon Region

The "lungs of the planet," was one of the major topics of the past twelve months. Despite significant challenges, the region has much to offer regarding global solutions that drive sustainable development. Here is a selection of blogs we published on the topic.

Una joven indigena de la Amazonía

 

Few regions in the world face the dual situation of being one of the most threatened by the climate crisis while also being a source of many solutions to the planet's most significant challenges.

This reflection dominated the sessions of the IDB Invest Sustainability Week 2024, held in June in Manaus, in the heart of the so-called 'lungs of the planet.'

With collaboration, movement, and impact as guiding principles, Manaus saw the emergence of a transformative movement aimed at paving the way for a more sustainable and inclusive future for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Amazon is a barometer for the health of our planet and is at a critical point in determining our path toward sustainable development.

We must seek solutions for decarbonization, adaptation, and biodiversity protection, benefiting both nature and people. In this blog, we explore some of these proposals:

Businesses are not part of the Amazon region's problems; on the contrary, they are crucial to the solutions that drive sustainable growth, create new opportunities, and build resilience to climate change.

With profitable and sustainable investment opportunities in social and economic sectors, climate change adaptation, inclusion, and bioeconomy, the private sector can do much to preserve the environment, people, and their culture.

THe Amazon River

Some solutions to the Amazon's challenges are already underway, with private sector initiatives addressing forest fires, deforestation, and soil degradation.

All this is thanks to digital and technological tools that have improved environmental protection and the lives of the region's inhabitants.

Another sector where the private sector can play a crucial role in protecting the Amazon region is the production of one of the most demanded and well-paid products in the world today: superfoods.

There are challenges, of course, but this high demand, combined with environmental factors that make some of these crops highly adaptable and resilient, opens the door to improving the living conditions of many people.

These examples show that with joint work between governments and the private sector and some creative financing formulas, the Amazon region can become the source of great solutions for the planet's future.

Authors

José Baig

José is the editor of IDB Invest's Sustainable Business blog.

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