RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Speaking to journalists, a member of the U.S. State Department said that the White House expects strong and quick demonstrations that it can build a relationship of trust with President Bolsonaro’s government on the environmental issue. In a letter sent to the Brazilian president in February, Biden had already said he hoped for some evidence of commitment before the global climate summit he is organizing for April, and to which Bolsonaro has been invited.
“We want a clear commitment to end illegal deforestation and a political signal that this practice will not be tolerated,” said the official, who asked not to be identified. “We would like to see a real drop in deforestation levels later this year. We’re not going to wait for another five or 10 years, or for a commitment in 2050.”
The State Department has not outlined specific targets for reducing forest destruction, but has made clear in its conversations with members of Bolsonaro’s government that it has an ambitious plan for Brazil and expects environmental laws to be strictly enforced from now on. “The Brazilian government needs to show us that it will not tolerate illegality and will not pretend that it is not seeing what is happening [in the Amazon],” he said.
Satellite monitoring data released by the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) shows that the deforestation rate in the Amazon increased by 34% in 2020, compared to the same period the previous year. This was the second consecutive increase in the first two years of President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration.
Biden’s government said it was willing to continue providing technical, technological and even material support for monitoring deforested areas and controlling forest fires. The Americans recognize, however, the need for the Brazilian government to take charge of its own situation and create internal mechanisms to ensure that the laws are enforced and that local communities and indigenous people are able to build a sustainable economy.
Financial Rewards
According to the State Department official, Brazil may be financially rewarded for its progress. “We are willing to negotiate a financial compensation agenda. If Brazil can reduce its deforestation and demonstrate that it has an effective mechanism to avoid cutting down the trees, then there would be payments from the global community,” he said.
At first, the idea is to make payments based on results, rather than making up-front investments. “We need immediate action to help build trust. If the world is going to make an investment to help prevent deforestation, investors need to see results,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
But the U.S. government official admitted that some upfront investment may be needed to initiate the change. “We are evaluating how to combine the two. Payments that could come from countries, the U.S. could contribute part of that, but another part could come from both the public and private sector.”
Asked about the possibility of applying sanctions against the Brazilian government or companies that fail to comply with national environmental legislation, the State Department official said that the United States does not yet see this as a possibility.
“At this point we don’t see sanctions as a starting point,” he said. “But it doesn’t mean that we never considered the possibility. It just means that at this point we don’t intend to start our conversation from that.”
Emergency fund
Since taking over the White House in January, Joe Biden has treated the issue of the environment as a priority. The Democrat has pledged to eliminate carbon emissions from the U.S. electricity sector by 2035 and has addressed Amazon deforestation several times.
He even announced during the election campaign his intention to create a $20 billion fund to preserve the region. According to the State Department, this proposal is being developed and should be put into practice soon.
At the time the fund was announced, President Bolsonaro said he is not willing to accept “bribes” and once again accused the governments of the United States and Europe of threatening national sovereignty. “We recognize Brazil’s sovereignty in dealing with issues regarding the Amazon,” the U.S. government official said in Monday’s conversation. “But we want to use our partnership to encourage Brazil to achieve more ambitious goals.”
The relationship between Brazil and the United States has become more complex since Biden took office. Bolsonaro’s administration had a close relationship with his predecessor, Donald Trump, and even went so far as to support the Republican’s false challenges to the election results.
Bolsonaro is still considered abroad as a leader with no commitment to environmental protection, a position that is in direct conflict with the goals of the Biden administration.
Source: Veja