Lula’s main goal in Washington

First modification: 02/10/2023 – 11:43

By RFI’s Washington correspondent

Stopping deforestation in the Amazon would help save 345 million people who are at risk of famine in the world and billions more who are being affected by climate change. And it is that the Amazon sustains a large part of the global food system by regulating rainfall patterns in the world. In fact, scientific models published in the Journal of Climateshow how continued deforestation of the Amazon will significantly reduce rainfall vital to food production in the United States.

In the western US, for example, deforestation in the Amazon could be responsible for a decline in 10 to 20 percent precipitation. A worrisome situation considering that together, the United States and Brazil provided 66 percent of the world’s soybeans, 42 percent of its corn, 30 percent of its poultry, among many other foods.

However, deforestation continues and has already eliminated 17 percent of the entire Amazon. Experts predict that if 20 to 25 percent of this rainforest is lost, there will be no turning back. This is how it stands out Natalie Unterstell, president of the Talanoa Institute of Brazil. “The Amazon rainforest became the central axis of Brazilian foreign policy and also an international policy issue for the US and Brazil due to its importance for climate security. If the Amazon dies and collapses, this will have a huge negative impact not only on Brazil but also on Latin America and on the fight against global climate change. That’s why deforestation has to stop.”

“Lula is going to have to deliver results”

According to the Lula administration, Brazil reduced the loss of the Amazon rainforest by more than 70% during his first two terms, mainly by enforcing existing laws and cracking down on corruption and other crimes. However, under former President Jair Bolsonaro, deforestation rates skyrocketed, rising 52% compared to the three-year period before his presidency. This is mentioned in the report entitled ‘Revitalizing US & Brazilian Cooperation on Climate’.

Halting deforestation completely was one of Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva’s campaign promises. Securing Joe Biden’s support to fulfill that promise is one of the main objectives of his visit to Washington. Support that will come with responsibilities for Brazil, says Anya Prusa, Albright Stonebridge Group Senior Director for the Americas, “The international community is relieved to have Brazil back at the table, and this relief is going to translate into much-needed funding for the Fund. for the Amazon and other mechanisms. But high expectations mean that Lula is going to have to deliver results.”

Will the United States enter the Fund for the Amazon?

He Fund for the Amazon, which Lula hopes the United States will join, was created in 2009 with an initial donation from Norway to help combat deforestation and stimulate sustainable development in Brazil. Bolsonaro froze the fund when he took office in 2019, but Lula restarted it with the support of Norway and Germany. Britain is also considering joining the fund, which has so far received $1.3 billion.

But this is not the only resource to support Brazil against deforestation, as mentioned by Bruna Santos, director of the Brazil Institute of the Wilson Center. “There are other bills stopped in Congress that are important beyond the Fund for the Amazon, such as the Forest Act or the amazon21 they also represent an important framework,” Santos said, adding that Biden in the past promised to mobilize $20 billion for the Amazon.

The United States and Brazil are the main emitters of greenhouse gases in the Americas (globally they occupy the second and fifth place, respectively), says the report of Climate Advisors.

“Among developed nations, the US has arguably done the worst when it comes to providing its share of international climate finance. For example, the budget that Biden signed in December 2022 did not contain any increase in US funds for international climate action,” highlights the report.

Mobilization of international resources that Lula hopes will arrive soon and will have to manage locally to fulfill his promises, says Luiza Duarte, an expert in Brazilian public policy. “Lula is trying to contain and undo the damage from the Bolsonaro government’s actions at home and abroad, but he faces internal challenges, especially in congress.”

It should be noted that Lula is planning to organize the 2025 COP30 in the Amazonian city of Belém.