WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will pledge $500 million over five years on Thursday to fight deforestation in Brazil, a White House official said, in a move that would make the United States one of the largest donors to global resources. Amazon Fund would make.
But the pledge requires approval from Congress, where Republicans are overwhelmingly opposed to international climate aid and have made it difficult for President Biden to follow through on his promises to help poorer countries cope with climate change.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has worked with the Biden administration on several issues, including climate change, despite Mr Lula’s criticism of US support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
The Amazon Fund, a conservation program, was founded by Brazil in 2008 and funds efforts to curb deforestation in the world’s largest rainforest. Norway, the first and largest contributor to the fund, has donated more than $1.2 billion. Germany recently announced a $217 million donation.
But the fund was suspended under Mr Lula’s far-right predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, who weakened environmental protections and saw annual average rates of deforestation rise to levels the country had not seen in more than a decade.
In the Amazon rainforest
Mr Lula took office in January with a pledge to end deforestation in the Amazon by 2030. But his reign has had a rocky start. Preliminary data suggests that deforestation rates have continued to rise as his government attempts to rebuild environmental protections.
The Amazon plays an important role in regulating water cycles, stabilizing the climate and absorbing carbon dioxide. It is estimated that 150 billion to 200 billion tons of carbon is locked up in the forest. But with trees being cut down, parts of the forest now emit more carbon dioxide than they absorb.
John Kerry, President Biden’s special envoy for climate change, is expected to announce the pledge at a meeting in Washington of representatives from some of the world’s major economies. The White House said in a fact sheet that the pledge comes “in the context of Brazil’s renewed commitment to end deforestation by 2030.” The US is also expected to call on other countries to contribute to the fund.
“That’s a lot of money,” said Suely Araújo, a policy expert at the Climate Observatory, an environmental group in Brazil. “It is a sign of confidence in the new administration, that it can handle this and that it is committed to getting deforestation under control.”
“I really hope Congress approves it,” Ms. Araújo said. “It’s really necessary for what Brazil needs to do.”
Mr Biden has pledged to provide $11.4 billion annually in international climate aid by 2024, but so far that goal is nowhere near that goal. Last year, Congress approved just $1 billion — despite Democratic scrutiny from both the House and Senate.
“We are working as hard as we can to meet that goal and fulfill the president’s pledge,” said Sarah Ladislaw, a special assistant to Mr. Biden and the senior director for climate and energy in the White House National Security Council. .
With Republicans controlling the House and Democrats holding only a slim majority in the Senate, getting approval for extra money for things like the Amazon Fund will be an uphill battle.
But in at least one instance, the Biden administration has found a way around Republican opposition.
Last year, Republicans cut funds the government had pledged to the Green Climate Fund, a United Nations-led program to help poor countries transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy and build resilience to climate disasters. On Thursday, the government is expected to contribute $1 billion to the fund, according to discretionary funds within the State Department, a government official said.
