Germany says it is ready to resume financial aid to protect the Amazon

“In principle, we are ready to release the frozen funds for the Amazon Forest Preservation Fund,” said a spokesperson for the German Ministry of Development and Cooperation during a press conference.

Norway will resume aid to Brazil against deforestation after Lula's victory

Norway will resume financial aid against the deforestation of the Amazon in Brazil, frozen during the Presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, the Norwegian Minister of the Environment announced this Monday (31) to AFP, after the victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT ) in the Brazilian presidential election.

In August 2019, Norway, the main financier of the protection fund, and Germany, another major contributor, decided to cut their subsidies, accusing President Jair Bolsonaro of not wanting to stop deforestation.

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“We will now discuss the details with the transition team. Within the German government there is a great desire to quickly extend a helping hand”, declared the ministry spokesperson. He, however, did not provide a specific date, because it will depend on political “conditions” in Brazil.

According to data from the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment, US$641 million is currently frozen in the Fund's account.

Vast haven of biodiversity and long a precious “carbon sink,” the Amazon, the largest rainforest on the planet, now emits more CO2 than it absorbs.

Reducing deforestation is one of the solutions advocated by UN climate experts (IPCC) to limit global warming at 1,5ºC, in accordance with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

“Amazonia alive”

President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated, on Sunday (30), after the announcement of his victory in the second round of the presidential election, that Brazil is willing to play a leading role against climate change and highlighted that the planet needs of a “living Amazon”.

The prospect of a return of international aid concomitant with Lula's return to power was welcomed by environmental NGOs. “We are convinced that Lula has good intentions for the Amazon rainforest when he takes office in January, but he will face a political situation that will complicate his work,” Elle Hestnes Ribeiro, from the Rainforest Foundation Norway's Brazil program, told AFP.

“It will therefore be dependent on international aid, and the Amazon Forest Preservation Fund is essential in this sense,” he stated.

(AFP)