- Joe Biden pledges $500 million to help Brazil combat its deforestation issues
- The Democratic leader also plans to increase American funding for developing countries to fight climate change
- The plans were made public during a virtual meeting that involved the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate
United States President Joe Biden committed $500 million to help Brazil curb its deforestation issues as part of the Democratic leader's ongoing fight against climate change.
Biden also announces plans to increase the funding of the American government to assist developing countries in staving off global warming. The plans were made public during a virtual meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate.
Joe Biden Pledges $500 Million To Amazon Fund
The American president urged his international counterparts to become ambitious in setting objectives to reduce global emissions and to meet a target of limiting overall global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
In a statement, Biden said that we are now at great peril but argued that it was also filled with great possibilities. He said that with the exemplary commitment and follow-through from every country who attended the call, the objective of limiting global warming could be made a reality, as per Reuters.
Based on data released by the White House, the countries that are part of the forum make up roughly 80% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions and a global gross domestic product. The meeting held on Thursday was already the fourth gathering of the group under Biden's presidency.
The Democratic leader also announced that the U.S. government would contribute $1 billion to the Green Climate Fund, which funds projects related to clean energy and climate change resilience within developing countries.
Biden said that the impacts of climate change worldwide are mostly felt by the people who have contributed the least to the issue, including developing nations. He added that large economies, considered large emitters, must step up to the plate and support these global economies.
America's Contribution To Fight Climate Change
The United States government's $500 million pledge to Brazil will be delivered over the next five years and make America one of the largest donors to the Amazon Fund conservation program. The Democratic leader considered forests a "key to our future" and added that if these natural resources are lost, they cannot be gained back quite so easily, according to the New York Times.
However, the pledge would still have to be passed by Congress, where GOP lawmakers have been overwhelmingly opposed to international climate assistance. Republicans have made it significantly difficult for Biden to deliver on his climate change promises of helping poorer nations address the issue.
The Amazon Fund is a conservation program that utilizes international funds for projects that seek to curb deforestation and preserve the environment in the Amazon jungle. The program was set up in Brazil during President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's first term in office.
Under former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's rule, the Amazon fund was left alone. In contrast, former environmental minister Ricardo Salles worked to dissolve committees responsible for managing the funds, said CNN.
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