Plan against illegal deforestation in Brazil to cost $1 bi

Brazil’s Environment Minister Ricardo Salles said that the national plan to fight illegal deforestation in the Amazon should cost $1 billion, an amount expected to be obtained from wealthy nations, like the US, which organized the Leaders’ Summit on Climate on Thursday (Apr. 22).

The minister reported that, should Brazil not receive such amount, efforts would be financed with the resources originally earmarked for it under the national budget. Salles and Science Minister Marcos Pontes spoke during President Jair Bolsonaro’s weekly live broadcast this Thursday.

Salles said that, when the Paris Agreement was signed, developed countries pledged to pay $100 billion to developing nations, which did not happen. Brazil has 7.8 billion tons of carbon emissions prevented from 2006 through 2017, he added, which totals $133 billion in credit, of which the country has received $1 billion.

“Here’s part of this understanding: Those who promised resources and led us to international deals must make the money available. We appreciate the $20 billion offer by [US President] Biden last year, and we are unveiling a  $1 billion plan. Considering all these credits, we want $1 billion [for the anti-deforestation project]. Now, if this money doesn’t come, we’ll do whatever we can with our own resources. The president stipulated that the funding for environmental monitoring should be doubled,” the minister said.