President Biden becomes first sitting president to venture into Amazon rainforest: ‘Fight for humanity’
Watch out for that tree, Joe of the Jungle!
President Biden walked into the jungle Sunday, becoming the first sitting commander-in-chief to set foot in the Amazon rainforest as he pledged to “fight for humanity” and looked to cement his legacy on climate.
Following an aerial tour of the tropical expanse aboard Marine One, Biden was transported to the Museu da Amazônia and ventured into the nature preserve on foot, where he spoke underscoring the importance of conserving the rainforests.
“The most powerful solutions to fight climate change is all around us — the worlds’ forests,” Biden, dressed in a blue button-down shirt and boots, proclaimed from a podium sited on dirt path in the lush forest setting.
“The fight against climate change has been a defining cause of my presidency.”
Biden was accompanied on the buggy and muggy jungle venture by his daughter Ashley and granddaughter Natalia as well as Nobel Prize winner Dr. Carlos Nobre.
During the visit, Biden conferred with indigenous leaders and touted how the US achieved its objective of allocating $11 billion in climate-related funding annually, up from $1.5 billion when he assumed the Oval Office.
Looming over the trip was President-elect Donald Trump’s forthcoming ascension back into the White House. Biden did not mention his predecessor/successor by name but made references to him.
“I will leave my successor and my country with a strong foundation to build on if they choose to do so. It’s true, some may seek to deny or delay the clean energy revolution that’s underway in America, but nobody, nobody can reverse it,” Biden declared.
“You don’t have to choose between the environment and the economy.”
The museum Biden visited is nestled in the Adolpho Ducke Forest Reserve, which some consider to be “the gateway to the Amazon” and is often seen as “the starting point of the Amazon River proper,” according to the White House.
Louisiana State University, the Smithsonian Institute and other US entities have partnerships with the nature reserve.
Following the tour, Biden signed a proclamation declaring Nov. 17 as International Conservation Day.
The White House also revealed multiple conservation initiatives, including a roughly $50 million Amazon Fund, the launch of the Brazil Restoration & Bioeconomy Finance Coalition, a $37.5 million reforestation loan and support for Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s backed Tropical Forest Forever Facility.
The Amazon rainforest, which is over two-thirds the size of Australia, is home to an estimated 10% of biodiversity on the planet.
Biden’s jungle journey followed his attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima, Peru, on Nov. 15-16, where he huddled with multiple foreign leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping.
The president was later embarrassingly relegated to the back corner of APEC’s family photo of world leaders, due to organizers placing heads of state in alphabetical order by country name.
The president’s trip coincided with the wake of revelations that his administration has authorized Ukraine to use long-range missiles to hit targets deep into Russian territory.
After his visit to Manaus for the Amazon rainforest tour, Biden jetted off to Rio de Janeiro for the Group of 20 summit, slated for Nov. 18–19.
