June 29
International Tropics Day
International Tropical Day, established by the UN General Assembly on 29 June, is a commemorative day of the UN. Its aim is to celebrate the extraordinary diversity of tropical regions while drawing attention to the challenges facing the peoples of these regions. It is an opportunity to share expertise and develop cooperation.
The decision to celebrate World Tropics Day was made in 2016, on the second anniversary of the first edition of the State of the Tropics Report. The day serves as a reminder of the role of tropical regions in achieving global sustainable development goals and the specific challenges they face, such as climate change, deforestation, urbanization, and demographic changes. Tropical areas will be home to the majority of the world's population by 2050, but also have the highest rates of poverty and malnutrition. The destruction of tropical forests, particularly in Brazil, the Congo, and Bolivia, has led to significant carbon dioxide emissions. The area of destroyed tropical forests worldwide increased by 10% compared to 2021, with over 41,000 square kilometers of forests lost. The main causes of deforestation in South America are illegal logging, expansion of pastures, and infrastructure development. The Brazilian Amazon has been particularly affected, with the pace of destruction increasing under former President Jair Bolsonaro. The current Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has made the protection of the Amazon a priority and introduced measures to stop illegal deforestation by 2030. Lula also aims to achieve a balance between the area of cleared and newly planted forests in the Amazon in the coming years.
