Brasilia.- The Brazilian vice president, Geraldo Alckmin, received this Monday the United States special envoy for climate, John Kerry, who he said has committed to seeking public and private resources to support the protection of the Amazon.
“Kerry did not talk about values, but he did say that he will work with the Government (of Joe Biden), Congress and the private initiative to obtain large funds” to cooperate in the fight against climate change and deforestation in the Amazon, he declared. Alckmin.
The vice president has not specified whether the possible financial cooperation will be offered within the framework of the Amazon Fund, created with donations from Norway and Germany and aimed at financing actions against deforestation in the largest plant lung on the planet.
The eventual American participation in this fund, which has about 1 billion dollars, would have to be approved by that country’s Congress, but Alckmin has suggested that bilateral cooperation could also involve other areas.
“We have projects in the humanitarian area, to support indigenous communities, against malnutrition, deforestation and the fight against criminal organizations” that operate in the Amazon, as well as others that aim to “provide new income opportunities for the 28 million of people who live in that region,” he explained.
Fight against the climate crisis
Kerry, who began a two-day visit to Brazil on Monday, has not spoken to journalists, but Alckmin assures that he has stressed the United States’ interest in maintaining close cooperation with the South American country in combating the climate crisis.
In addition to Kerry and Alckmin, Brazil’s Environment Minister, Marina Silva, and other officials from both governments participated in the meeting.
Kerry’s visit, according to official Brazilian sources, aims to give “immediate follow-up” to what was discussed in Washington by Presidents Joe Biden and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who visited the White House on the 10th with an agenda of high environmental content.
According to Alckmin, “this moment cannot be missed,” since the threat of climate change “is a reality” and is already manifesting throughout the world.
As an example, he mentioned “the very violent tornadoes” that the United States has suffered in recent weeks and the torrential rains that last week caused 65 deaths on the coast of Sao Paulo.
Kerry will be in Brazil for two days and his agenda also includes meetings with other government authorities, with representatives of Parliament and with civil society organizations that operate in the Amazon and other ecosystems in the country.
From Brazil, the US official will go to Panama, where he will participate in the Our Oceans conference, which will bring together delegations from governments, private companies and civil society for three days.
