PM steps up UK efforts to protect the Amazon rainforest

27 Aug 2019 11:05 AM

PM Boris Johnson yesterday announced new funding to tackle deforestation in the Amazon at the G7 Summit.

Boris Johnson yesterday announced new UK funding to help tackle deforestation in the Amazon, as part of a package of announcements to combat climate change and protect biodiversity and the environment.

The PM will make £10 million immediately available to help step up efforts to protect and restore the Amazon rainforest in Brazil - including in areas affected by the current fires.

The new funding builds on support the UK has already invested to restore the rainforest in Brazil and neighbouring countries, and will help safeguard the huge biodiversity of animal and plant species found in the Amazon.

In addition, the PM will announce that the UK is increasing its contribution to the Green Climate Fund whose projects safeguard forests and land – including in the Amazon, reduce emissions, and help people cope with the effects of climate change in developing countries.

The fund supports a number of programmes to preserve natural habitats around the world – including to tackle deforestation in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.

The PM will underline that biodiversity and climate change are “two sides of the same coin” and must be addressed in tandem if we are to protect the planet. The destruction of forests and other habitats creates emissions that contribute to and accelerate the rate of climate change.

Click here for the full press release