MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil reinstates task force to tackle climate change

Kerry said Biden was interested in contributing to the Amazon Fund

Brazil's Environment Minister Marina Silva was joined by US Presidential Envoy John Kerry when she announced on Tuesday that the government of Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva was creating a working group to tackle the effects of climate change by focusing on the fight against deforestation in the Amazon and the defense of indigenous peoples, Agencia Brasil reported.

According to Silva, the task force will be composed of representatives from various ministries, seeking to expand the protection of Brazilian biodiversity and oceans, which are key issues to curb global warming and contain the emission of greenhouse gases.

“We are making a great effort to protect the world's forests. And it is essential that the developed world helps protect the forest,” Silva said.

Initially created in 2015, the working group will now be resumed and establish priorities for joint actions between the two countries. “Within the update of this agreement with the United States, we will have a work agenda until April, when there will be a meeting at the G20 [group that brings together the 20 largest economies in the world] to align this transition to a more sustainable, fair, fraternal and peaceful world,” Silva also explained.

She also pointed out that the greatest challenge would be to combat the negative effects of climate change without this bringing losses in terms of economic and social development.

Kerry, in turn, said that US President Joseph Biden was interested in working with Brazil to reverse climate change and has pledged to collaborate with the Amazon Fund, which collects donations from global powers for environmental preservation. The US intends to contribute to climate mitigation projects and to the containment of the increase in global temperature by up to 1.5° C, the value recommended by the Paris Agreement.

The high-level working group will have as a priority the improvement of dialogue among ministries. It will also work on issues of fair transition and inclusion for the decarbonization of the economy. Representatives from the public, private, philanthropic, and multilateral sectors will also join the group to discuss climate-related issues at the G20.

The Amazon Fund is managed by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) and is intended to support projects to combat deforestation and encourage forest conservation in the Amazon region. It was created in 2008 and counts on donations from countries like Norway and Germany. (Source: Agencia Brasil)