From the Amazon Rainforest, Biden Declares Nobody Can Reverse US Progress on Clean Energy

MANAUS, Brazil: Joe Biden witnessed devastation of drought up close as first sitting American president to visit Amazon rainforest Sunday, declaring that nobody can reverse “ clean energy revolution that’s underway in America” even as incoming Trump ministration is poised to scale back efforts to combat climate change.

massive Amazon region, which is about size of Australia, stores huge amounts of world’s carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas driving climate change. But development is rapidly depleting world's largest tropical rainforest, and rivers are drying up.

Biden said fight against climate change has been a defining cause of his presidency — he’s pushed for cleaner air, water and energy, including legislation that marked most substantial federal investment in history to fight global warming.

But he's about to hand nation over to Republican President-elect Donald Trump , who is highly unlikely to prioritize Amazon or anything related to climate change, which he's cast as a “hoax."

Trump has pledged to again pull out of Paris agreement, a global pact forged to avert threat of catastrophic climate change, and he says he'll rescind unspent funds in energy efficiency legislation.

“It’s true, some may seek to deny or delay clean energy revolution that’s underway in America,” Biden said from a podium set up on a sandy forest bed, flanked by huge tropical ferns. “But nobody, nobody can reverse it, nobody — not when so many people, regardless of party or politics, are enjoying its benefits.”

question now, he said, is “which government will stand in way and which will seize enormous opportunity.”

His trip comes as U.N. climate conference is underway in Azerbaijan. Brazil will hold talks next year.

During a helicopter tour, Biden saw severe erosion, ships grounded in one of Amazon River’s main tributaries and fire damage. He also passed over a wildlife refuge for endangered species of monkeys and birds and expansive waters where Negro River tributary flows into Amazon. He was joined by Carlos Nobre, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist and expert on how climate change is harming Amazon.

Biden met indigenous leers — introducing his daughter and granddaughter — and visited a museum at gateway to Amazon where indigenous women shook maracas as apart of a welcoming ceremony. He n signed a U.S. proclamation designating Nov. 17 as International Conservation Day.

U.S. president leaned into symbolism of his trip, saying Amazon might be “lungs of world,” but “in my view, our forest and national wonders are heart and soul of world. y unite us. y inspire us to make us proud of our countries and our heritage.”

Amazon is home to Indigenous communities and 10% of Earth’s biodiversity. About two-thirds of Amazon lies within Brazil. Scientists say its devastation poses a catastrophic threat to planet.

During brief remarks from forest, Biden sought to highlight his commitment to preservation of region. He said U.S. was on track to reach $11 billion in spending on international climate financing in 2024, a sixfold increase from when he started his term. Poorer nations struggling with rising seas and or effects of climate change say U.S. and or wealthier nations have yet to fulfill ir pledges to help.

“ fight to protect our planet is literally a fight for humanity,” he said.

Biden's ministration announced plans last year for a $500 million contribution to Amazon Fund, most significant international cooperation effort to preserve rainforest, primarily financed by Norway.

U.S. has said it has provided $50 million, and White House announced Sunday an ditional $50 million contribution.

Biden's trip was significant, but "we can’t expect concrete results from this visit," said Suely Araújo, former he of Brazilian environmental protection agency and public policy coordinator with nonprofit Climate Observatory.

She doubts that a “single penny” will go to Amazon Fund once Trump is in White House.

Biden ministration touted a series of new efforts aimed at bolstering Amazon and stemming impact of climate change.

That includes launch of a finance coalition looking to spur at least $10 billion in public and private investment for land restoration and eco-friendly economic projects by 2030 as well as a $37.5 million loan to support large-scale planting of native tree species on degred grasslands in Brazil.

Amazon has been suffering under two years of historic drought that have dried up waterways, isolated thousands of river communities and hindered riverine dwellers’ ability to fish. It's also me way for wildfires that have burned an area larger than Switzerland and choked cities near and far with smoke.

When Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office last year, he signaled a shift in environmental policy from his far-right predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro prioritized agribusiness expansion over forest protection and weakened environmental agencies, prompting deforestation to surge to a 15-year high.

Lula has pledged “zero deforestation” by 2030, though his term runs through 2026. Forest loss in Brazil’s Amazon dropped by 30.6% in 12 months through July from a year earlier, bringing deforestation to its lowest level in nine years, official data released last week said.

In that 12-month span, Amazon lost 6,288 square kilometers (2,428 square miles), roughly size of U.S. state of Delaware. But that data fails to capture surge of destruction this year, which will only be included in next year’s reing.

Despite success in curbing Amazon deforestation, Lula’s government has been criticized by environmentalists for backing projects that could harm region, such as paving a highway that cuts from an old-growth area and could encourage logging, oil drilling near mouth of Amazon River and building a railway to transport soy to Amazonian ports.

While Biden is first sitting president in Amazon, former President odore Roosevelt traveled to region with help of American Museum of Natural History following his 1912 loss to Woodrow Wilson. Roosevelt, joined by his son and naturalists, traversed roughly 15,000 miles, and former president fell ill with malaria and suffered a serious leg infection after a boat accident.

Biden is making Amazon visit as part of a six-day trip to South America, first to continent of his presidency. He traveled from Lima, Peru, where he took part in annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

After his stop in Manaus, he was heing to Rio de Janeiro for this year's Group of 20 leers summit.