Written by David Lawder and Marcela Ayres
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – The governments of the United States and Brazil announced an agenda for climate cooperation on Friday, seeking to deepen ties on an issue they see as important but considered secondary by opponents in both countries.
Speaking on the sidelines of the G20 financial leaders' meeting in Rio de Janeiro, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said “advancing work on climate and the environment and biodiversity can bring benefits not only to our two economies but also to the regions and the global economy.”
“We want to get closer,” said Brazil's Finance Minister, Fernando Haddad, adding that he expects these guidelines to turn into concrete actions as soon as possible.
The joint work between the US and Brazil, the two largest economies in the Western Hemisphere, will focus on four key areas, including efforts to help countries to easily access the resources of the collective climate fund, which is a priority for Brazil during its presidency of the G20 this year. .
Yellen also mentioned as pillars of the plan the aim of strengthening clean electricity supply chains and efforts to improve the integrity and effectiveness of voluntary carbon markets.
Efforts to consolidate finance and develop new solutions to save and restore the environment and biodiversity, including multilateral development banks, are also on the agenda.
