MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula, Biden discuss climate change over the phone

Biden's words sounded “like music” to Lula's ears

Presidents Joseph Biden of the United States and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil Wednesday discussed climate change during a telephone conversation in which a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders next year was also considered.

According to Planalto Palace sources, Biden would be traveling to Brazil, probably to an Amazon state for further talks “for a greener world.”

Lula spoke to Biden about the importance of making serious progress in this direction after these topics were reviewed at the Amazon Summit last week in the Brazilian city of Belém.

“This afternoon I spoke with the president of the United States. We talked about the fight against climate change, the Amazon Summit, and the preservation of the environment,” Lula said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Brazilian president also expressed his intention to make Brazil an example for the world in terms of environmental preservation and energy transition.

Biden acknowledged the responsibilities of developed countries and the need to support developing countries to face the effects of the climate crisis and said he agreed “100%.” He also highlighted a US$ 500 million contribution by the United States to the Amazon Fund announced last February when Lula traveled to Washington DC.

Lula and Biden also analyzed a joint initiative to promote decent work, with the participation of representatives of labor movements and the International Labor Organization (ILO). The concept of “decent work” is part of the list of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the UN in 2015. According to the ILO, it takes into account a series of indicators, such as employment opportunities, income, working hours, and slave-like work.

“It is the first time I deal with a president who is interested in workers,” said Lula. The former unionist said Biden's words “sound like music” to his ears and hoped that they would inspire other leaders to take an interest in workers' issues.