President Joe Biden visited the heart of the Amazon on Sunday and proclaimed that the clean energy revolution in the US is irreversible.
US President Joe Biden began a historic trip to Brazil on Sunday, becoming the first sitting US president to visit the Amazon rainforest to commemorate what the White House calls his “legacy” in the fight against climate change. , presenting it in economic terms of the race between countries to “take advantage of the clean energy revolution.”
Biden landed in Manaus, capital of the state of Amazonas, gateway to the largest jungle in the world. Biden announced that, under his administration, the United States surpassed the goal of providing $11 billion per year in international climate financing by 2024, a key component in the fight against climate change promoted by countries in the Global South.
“The fight to protect our planet is literally a fight for humanity for generations to come. It may be the only existential threat to all of our nations and to all of humanity,” Biden said. The remarks took place in a setting of lush green vegetation in a nature reserve and “living museum” in Manaus that celebrates the Amazon rainforest and its biodiversity.
During his brief visit to Manaus, which took place between the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum meeting in Lima, Peru, and the G20 summit of the world's 20 largest economies in Rio de Janeiro, Biden announced US investments in several climate initiatives, including $50 million for the Amazon Fund. He met with indigenous leaders and toured the Amazon rainforest by helicopter.
During the flight, Biden saw the confluence of the Negro and Amazon rivers, and the ravages of coastal erosion and damage caused by jungle fires, according to the White House. Most fires in the Amazon are related to deforestation.
Over the past four years, the administration has “created a bold new playbook that has turned the fight against the climate crisis into a tremendous economic opportunity, both at home and abroad,” the White House said.
Reduce efforts to combat climate change
Several diplomatic sources from APEC and the G20, who spoke with the VOA On condition of anonymity to discuss a diplomatically sensitive matter, they expressed concern about the drastic reduction of American efforts under the incoming administration. President-elect Donald Trump will take office in January.
During his previous administration, Trump caused a stir among climate activists when he withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, the world's main multilateral forum for mitigating climate change. He has repeatedly called climate change a “hoax.”
Acknowledging the two months he has left in office, Biden said he is leaving his successor and the country a “solid foundation on which to build, should they choose to do so.”
“True, some may want to deny or delay the clean energy revolution underway in the United States, but no one, no one can reverse it,” Biden said, stressing that the push toward clean energy has bipartisan support and that other countries They are taking advantage of it for their economic progress.
“The question now is which government will stand in the way and which will take advantage of the enormous economic opportunity,” he said, in what may be a reference to the future of the US-China clean energy rivalry under his successor.
Biden's comments came a day after a meeting in Lima with Chinese President Xi Jinping, likely their last meeting while Biden is in office.
China is currently the world leader in electric vehicles, accounting for more than half of global production and exports.
Meanwhile, Trump is reportedly trying to roll back the $7,500 tax credit for the purchase of electric vehicles for American consumers, part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, Biden's signature legislation on clean energy and climate change.
Celso Amorim, senior advisor to the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil, said he will not prejudge the incoming Trump administration.
“I judge the actions, so we will see later how those actions evolve,” he told the Voice of America on Saturday, before the G20 summit that Brazil hosts. “For now, Biden has been a good partner for Brazil, for President (Luis Inácio) Lula (da Silva).”
Starting this Monday in Rio, Biden will focus on workers' rights and clean economic growth and will attend the launch of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, a Lula initiative aimed at accelerating global efforts in the fight against hunger and poverty until 2030.
Asked about Biden's message to world leaders concerned about the durability of the United States' commitments on several issues, including climate change and poverty reduction, White House press secretary Karine Jean- Pierre said Biden is “focusing on the moment” and continuing the progress made over the past four years for the remainder of his term.
A senior administration official who briefed reporters after Biden's visit to the Amazon left open the possibility that the incoming administration will continue the fight against climate change.
“Maybe he will come here and see the forest and see the damage caused by the drought and other things and change his mind about climate change,” the official said, referring to Trump.