Biden makes historic visit to the Amazon rainforest
President Joe Biden made a historic visit to the Amazon on Sunday and made a call for future generations to protect the wildlife in the region.
"Today, I'm proud to be here, the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Amazon rainforest, to recommit protecting the rainforests like this one. The most powerful solutions we have to fight climate change is all around us, the world’s forests. Trees breathe carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. And yet each minute, the world is chopping down the equivalent of ten soccer fields worth of forest," Biden said.
Biden also pointed out that his successor, president-elect Donald Trump, could change U.S. climate policy.
"It's no secret that I'm leaving office in January. I will leave my successor, and my country, the strong foundation to build on, if they choose to do so," he said. "It's true, some may seek to lie, deny or delay the clean energy revolution that's underway in America, but nobody, nobody can reverse it, nobody. Not when so many people, regardless of party or politics, are enjoying its benefits," Biden said.
This is the most Biden has publicly referenced his successor during this South American tour. He did not mention Trump by name during the trilateral meeting with South Korea and Japan, and the Biden-Trump transition was only briefly mentioned during Chinese President Xi Jinping's remarks on Saturday.
During Sunday's visit, Biden added that the climate is not simply a domestic matter, but economies around the globe are impacted by U.S. policy. He seemed to make a call for other foreign leaders to consider their own positions on climate.
"Not when countries around the world are harnessing the clean energy revolution to pull ahead themselves. The question now is, which government will stand in the way, and which will seize the enormous economic opportunity?" Biden said.
Biden also took an aerial tour of the Amazon. Pool reporters on the tour provided some color about the ride, saying that they went toward the Rio Negro River, where the reporter said that "leafy green treetops and vegetation" spanned as far as the eye could see. The reporter added that a map from the White House showed that the president and reporters flew over "wildlife refuge, shore erosion, fire damage and grounded ships."
Biden also toured the local Museu da Amazônia, where he engaged with "local indigenous leaders, environmental defenders, conservationists, and entrepreneurs," according to the White House. The museum on the Adolpho Ducke Forest Reserve, which the White House says is "one of the most important research sites in the Amazon," has partnerships with many U.S. institutions.
