Norway gives $50 mln to Brazil Amazon fund as deforestation falls

Norway said it would donate an additional $50 million to Brazil’s Amazon Fund to promote conservation of its rainforest region, the Nordic country’s first new donation since the fund was frozen by right-wing Jair Bolsonaro in 2019.
Brazil and Norway announced the donation at the United Nations COP28 climate change summit in Dubai. Deforestation is the largest source of Brazil’s planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.
As one of his first acts as Brazil’s new president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva reopened the Amazon Fund to protect the world’s largest rainforest.
But the fund can only receive donations when Brazil lowers deforestation. Under Bolsonaro, forest destruction had hit a 15-year high.
Lula has aggressively stepped up the enforcement of environmental laws since assuming, slashing deforestation rates.
Norway made the donation in recognition of deforestation falling by roughly 50% in the first 11 months of the Lula administration, Brazil’s Environment Ministry said in a statement.