US climate envoy reiterates commitment to Amazon

US climate envoy John Kerry wrapped up his second day of meetings with Brazilian government officials on Tuesday, expressing his commitment to helping preserve the world’s largest tropical forest, but without offering concrete details.

Kerry referred to the Amazon rainforest as a test for humanity, saying that without its protection it is impossible to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), as called for in the Paris climate accord in 2015.

“What’s at stake in the Amazon is hard for some people to comprehend, but the reality is that this jungle is critical to the world’s ability to meet the goals that we’ve set out in international meetings,” Kerry told reporters on Monday. Tuesday afternoon in the capital, Brasilia. He added that US President Joe Biden “is deeply involved in this matter.”

A recently reactivated binational working group will present its results on the Amazon, renewable energy and indigenous peoples at the Group of 20 summit in April, said Brazil’s Environment Minister Marina Silva.

Kerry and Silva met first on Monday, along with Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and the head of the country’s development bank, which manages the nation’s Amazon Fund. The fund is part of an international program to preserve the rainforest that channels donations to prevent, control and combat deforestation while promoting sustainability.

Speaking to reporters alongside Kerry after their meeting on Tuesday, Silva said the US government still needs congressional authorization to allocate specific amounts for environmental funding.

“It is not just a signal from the US government, but a decision, which is more important. When President Biden says that he will collaborate, he will collaborate, ”he said. “Obviously, the United States is of such economic and strategic importance that its collaboration is not only financial, but also political.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was in Washington earlier this month with his US counterpart. In a joint statement issued by both countries, it was stated that the United States intends to be part of the Amazon Fund, financed mainly by Norway and which also receives support from Germany. Kerry reiterated that commitment Tuesday after meeting Silva for the second time.

Kerry told reporters that he will return to Brazil next month and visit the Amazon. Silva said a specific destination has not yet been determined, adding that if he goes to the state of Pará, he will be offered “a good cup of the best açai in the world.”

[Con información de The Associated Press]

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