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BRASILIA, Nov 29 (Reuters) – Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is asking Britain, France, the United States and others to donate to an international fund to save the Amazon rainforest, which protects against climate change, Lula advisers said. . on Tuesday.
Lula’s team has also approached Switzerland and Canada about contributing, the advisers said.
The Amazon Fund, launched under the first administration of the leftist Lula from 2003-2010, bankrolls defense projects and counts Norway and Germany as its biggest donors.
Right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro froze the funding, citing unspecified spending irregularities in funded projects run by non-governmental organizations, without providing evidence. The fund already has about 3 billion reais ($563.71 million) unspent for nearly 4 years.
Halting deforestation in the Amazon, which absorbs vast amounts of planet-warming greenhouse gases, is part of Lula’s broader plan for Brazil to gain leadership on climate change action. Bolsonaro prioritized economic development over environmental protection and appointed climate skeptics as ministers.
Marina Silva, a former environment minister and adviser to Lula’s transition team, said the expansion of the Amazon fund would give Lula the resources to take immediate steps to protect the environment when he takes office on Jan. 1.
Lula will work with the 2023 budget that was passed under Bolsonaro and therefore by contributing to the fund, “extending resources beyond what is already being done by Norway and Germany, will be very useful to face this difficult moment,” Silva said. said .
She personally raised the issue with Britain, Canada, France, the United States and Switzerland while attending the COP27 UN Climate Summit in Egypt in early November.
The British Embassy said its government is studying an invitation to join the Amazon Fund.
Lula’s former environment minister and current climate change adviser, Isabella Teixeira, told Reuters she met with Norwegian and German officials on Monday about restarting the fund.
Norway’s Environment Minister Aspen Barth Ede told the UN gathering that he expected the fund to restart “very soon after January 1st”.
Teixeira confirmed that Britain, France and Switzerland have expressed interest in the fund.
The former minister said he had lunch with the British ambassador to Brazil and the head of the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) about new cooperation, including the Amazon fund.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to visit Brazil in the first half of 2023 to discuss possible cooperation before his country makes a final decision on joining the fund.
The British embassy said its climate and environment ministers were approached by Brazilian senator Randolph Rodrigues and Para state governor Helder Barbalho about donating to the fund at the COP27 summit. Both officials accompanied Lula during her visit to COP27.
The US and Canadian embassies did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The French and Swiss embassies declined to comment.
Deforestation reached a 15-year high under Bolsonaro, who has called for more farming and mining in the Amazon region.
Lula has promised to eliminate deforestation by using every tool at his disposal, including more money and officials to enforce environmental laws.
($1 = 5.3219 riyals)
Reporting by Anthony Bodle and Jack Spring; Editing by Jonathan Otis and Grant McCool
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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