New Economies: Innovate to Develop
Strengthening Amazon business chains involves supporting innovation
Debating different models in the activities and sectors of new economies in the Amazon was the focus of the panel “Challenges for innovation in the establishment of new arrangements and businesses”, which took place in the early afternoon of the second day of The Amazon and New Economies International Conference.
Asked about how to scale new and sustainable production arrangements through innovation and what challenges, practices and solutions are being implemented, the panelists presented their knowledge and experiences based on initiatives developed in the Amazon region.
CEO of Carbonext, Janaina Dallan drew attention to the fact that traditional people and communities are still little heard and recognized. “When we arrive with the project and do the social diagnosis, it is very gratifying to listen and know what they want. More than that, they begin to understand that they are very fundamental to protecting the forest”, she commented. When talking about carbon credits, Janaina celebrated the fact that today people, the private sector and the government understand what they are and their importance for maintaining life on Earth. “By 2030, the voluntary carbon market in the world should exceed USD 50 billion, a very significant volume that could change the reality of the forest.”
In relation to financing innovative businesses, the director of the Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Division at IDB Invest, Angela Miller, announced that the Amazon is one of the institution’s main areas of focus. “We are only financing projects aligned with the Paris Agreement. Furthermore, between 2016 and 2022 millions of dollars were invested, resulting in renewable energy and more than 600 thousand employees supported”, he listed. Angela also spoke about the umbrella program that the IDB is launching, ‘Amazônia para Sempre’, focusing on environmental preservation and climate issues. “One of the areas with a lot of potential is social infrastructure, that is, health, education and bioeconomy are our main focuses”, said Angela.
Representative of a traditional extractive sector, the vice-president of the Rondônia Rubber Tappers Organization, Sebastião Gonçalves Neves, highlighted the need to expand government support and the private sector to strengthen product chains such as rubber, the pirarucu fish and nuts. “There are many products that are of fundamental importance and, through scientific studies, we can advance in their production.”
Moderated by the director of the Technological Innovation Agency of the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Gonzalo Enríquez, the panel also included the participation of the director of Environment for Bioeconomy and Climate at ABIHPEC, Fábio Brasiliano, and the director of Green Economy at Fundação Certi, Marcos Da-Ré.
About the Conference
The Amazon and New Economies International Conference is promoted by the Brazilian Mining Institute (IBRAM), a non-profit organization that brings together more than 130 companies and institutions that work in the Mineral sector and are committed to protecting the Amazon. IBRAM and its members are committed to innovations in the sector and to disseminating the best business and environmental practices.
The event brings together representatives of the peoples of the forest, civil society, academia, the public and private sectors in the capital of Pará to address issues involving the environment, the economy and sustainable development.
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