In heart of Amazon, US President Joe Biden marks climate 'legacy'

Rio de Janeiro — 

U.S. President Joe Biden began a historical Brazil travel Sunday, becoming the archetypal sitting American president to sojourn the Amazon rainforest to people what the White House calls his "legacy" connected warring clime change, couching it successful economical presumption of the contention betwixt countries successful “harnessing the cleanable vigor revolution.”

Biden landed successful Manaus, superior of the authorities of Amazonas, doorway to the world's largest jungle. Biden announced that nether his administration, the United States has surpassed the extremity of providing $11 cardinal per twelvemonth successful planetary clime financing successful 2024 -- a cardinal constituent successful the combat against clime alteration lobbied by countries of the Global South.

“The combat to support our satellite is virtually a combat for humanity for generations to come. It whitethorn beryllium the lone existential menace to each our nations and to each humanity,” Biden said. The remarks were delivered amid the backdrop of lush greenish vegetation astatine a quality reserve and “living museum” successful Manaus that celebrates the Amazon rainforest and its biodiversity.

During his little Manaus sojourn -- sandwiched betwixt the Asia Pacific Economic Forum gathering successful Lima, Peru, and the acme of the 20 largest economies, the G20, successful Rio de Janeiro -- Biden announced U.S. investments successful respective clime initiatives, including $50 cardinal for the Amazon Fund. He met with Indigenous leaders and toured the Amazon jungle via helicopter.

During the flight, Biden saw the confluence of the Rio Negro and the Amazon River, and the ravages of enactment erosion and occurrence harm to the jungle, according to the White House. The bulk of fires successful the Amazon are linked to deforestation.

In the past 4 years, the medication has “created a bold caller playbook that has turned tackling the clime situation into an tremendous economical accidental – some astatine location and abroad,” the White House said.

Scaling backmost clime efforts

Several diplomatic sources astatine APEC and the G20, who spoke with VOA nether information of anonymity to sermon a diplomatically delicate matter, expressed interest that U.S. efforts volition beryllium dramatically scaled backmost nether the incoming administration. President-elect Donald Trump volition beryllium inaugurated successful January.

During his earlier administration, Trump sent shockwaves among clime activists erstwhile helium withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord, the world’s main multilateral forum to mitigate clime change. He has repeatedly called clime alteration a “hoax.”

Acknowledging the 2 months helium has near successful office, Biden said helium is leaving his successor and the state a “strong instauration to physique on, if they take to bash so.”

“It's true, immoderate whitethorn question to privation to contradict oregon hold the cleanable vigor gyration that's nether mode successful America, but nobody, cipher tin reverse it,” Biden said, underscoring that the propulsion toward cleanable vigor has bipartisan enactment and that different countries are harnessing it for their economical progress.

“The question present is, which authorities volition basal successful the way, and which volition prehend the tremendous economical opportunity,” helium said, successful what whitethorn beryllium a notation to the aboriginal of U.S.-China rivalry connected cleanable vigor nether his successor.

Biden’s remarks came a time aft a gathering successful Lima with Chinese President Xi Jinping, apt their past gathering portion Biden is successful office.

China is presently the world's person successful electrical vehicles, oregon EVs, accounting for much than fractional of planetary accumulation and exports. Trump, meanwhile, is reportedly trying to rotation backmost the $7,500 EV acquisition taxation recognition for American consumers, portion of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, Biden’s signature authorities connected cleanable vigor and clime change.

Celso Amorim, main advisor to the president of the Federal Republic of Brazil, said helium volition not prejudge the incoming Trump administration.

“I justice actions, truthful we’ll spot aboriginal however these actions evolve,” helium told VOA Saturday, up of the G20 acme that Brazil is hosting. “For now, Biden has been a bully spouse for Brazil, for President [Luis Inacio] Lula [da Silva].”

Beginning Monday successful Rio, Biden volition absorption connected workers’ rights and cleanable economical maturation and be the motorboat of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty. It is Lula’s inaugural aimed astatine accelerating planetary efforts successful the combat against hunger and poorness by 2030.

Asked astir Biden’s connection to satellite leaders acrophobic astir the durability of U.S. commitments connected assorted issues, including clime alteration and poorness reduction, White House property caput Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden is “focusing connected the moment” and continuing advancement achieved successful the past 4 years for the remainder of his term.

A elder medication authoritative briefing reporters aft Biden’s Amazon sojourn near unfastened the anticipation that the incoming medication whitethorn proceed the combat against clime change.

“Maybe he'll travel down present and spot the wood and spot the harm being done from the drought and different things and alteration his caput astir clime change,” the authoritative said, referring to Trump.