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President Biden met today with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on the margins of the G20 Leaders’ Summit.  President Biden thanked Prime Minister Trudeau for Canada’s strong partnership as weaddress the main challenges of our time, including creating jobs and opportunities for the middle class, combating climate change, managing migration, strengthening our alliances including NATO, and addressing humanitarian needs in Haiti and globally.  President Biden reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to the shared goal of continental and Arctic defense, and underscored the importance of Canadian defense investment and the modernization of the Columbia River Treaty.  The two leaders agreed that strengthening democracy and rule of law were essential to the prosperity and success of North America.   

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The post Readout of President Joe Biden’s Meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada appeared first on The White House.

President Biden met today with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on the margins of the G20 Leaders’ Summit.  President Biden thanked Prime Minister Trudeau for Canada’s strong partnership as weaddress the main challenges of our time, including creating jobs and opportunities for the middle class, combating climate change, managing migration, strengthening our alliances including NATO, and addressing humanitarian needs in Haiti and globally.  President Biden reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to the shared goal of continental and Arctic defense, and underscored the importance of Canadian defense investment and the modernization of the Columbia River Treaty.  The two leaders agreed that strengthening democracy and rule of law were essential to the prosperity and success of North America.   

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The post Readout of President Joe Biden’s Meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada appeared first on The White House.

Dear Mr. Speaker:

With the Congress now back in session, I write to request urgently needed emergency funding to provide for an expeditious and meaningful Federal response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural disasters.  In the weeks since these deadly storms tore through communities across the Southeast, members of my Administration and I have traveled to Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina to meet with families, business owners, farmers, local and State officials, and first responders to stand with these communities in the wake of these disasters and to hear firsthand what they need from the Federal Government in order to make a full recovery.  Additional resources are critical to continue to support these communities.

Over the past month, members of my Administration have written to you and other congressional leaders to underscore the urgent need for additional funding to replenish key disaster response programs. Most urgently, the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) disaster loan program has completely exhausted its funding and the Congress must act as soon as possible to restore this funding.  As I outlined in my October 4th letter, my Administration has repeatedly underscored the need for the Congress to prevent a shortfall.  SBA loans are a pivotal lifeline for local businesses as well as individual survivors who use these loans to repair and rebuild their homes and replace or repair damaged property, including their personal vehicles.  SBA has already received over 100,000 loan applications for Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and the American people cannot afford any further delay in the restoration of this vital funding.

Urgent funding is also needed for the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) uses to help individuals and communities across the Nation recover from disasters.  Without additional funding, the DRF will face a shortfall this fiscal year, which will impact FEMA’s ability to provide life-saving and life-sustaining assistance to disaster survivors, as well as slow recovery from ongoing and prior disasters.  Funding for the Department of Agriculture is necessary to provide assistance to farmers, ranchers, and rural communities across the Nation affected by natural disasters.  Funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program is critical to help communities respond to the impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, as well as the devastating fires in Maui and tornados in Mississippi, Iowa, and Oklahoma.  My Administration is also requesting funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect critical access to safe drinking water, for the Department of Energy to rapidly restore power and rebuild the electric grid to better withstand future storms, and for the Department of Transportation to support rebuilding roads and bridges across 40 States and Territories, including Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.  Additional funding for the EPA is also needed to protect drinking water infrastructure, fund water system upgrades that would improve system performance, mitigate further future damage from extreme weather, and improve systems for low- and moderate-income households.

Additional action must also be taken to address the severe shortage of intravenous (IV) fluids and other critical medical products caused by Hurricane Helene.  The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) took critical steps this month to support access to these products, including ensuring restoration of key production sites, protecting products, and opening imports in partnership with manufacturers, distributors, hospitals, and other stakeholders.  My Administration is requesting funding for HHS to build supply chain capacity and resilience for IV fluids and other critical medical products to respond to current needs and to better prepare for disasters in the future.  In addition, Hurricanes Helene and Milton are expected to exhaust available funding balances for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), forcing the program to add to its debt to the Department of the Treasury. My Administration urges the Congress to cancel some or all of the NFIP’s debt to ensure NFIP policyholders and disaster survivors have a sustainable flood insurance program that provides the assistance they need after disaster strikes.

The Congress must also extend the deadlines for Hermit’s Peak fire claimants to request FEMA assistance, in order to ensure all applicants can receive compensation for losses in the aftermath of the fires in New Mexico.

The Congress has previously responded on a bipartisan basis to support communities in the wake of natural disasters — including providing over $90 billion in aid after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, over $50 billion following Hurricane Sandy in 2013, and over $120 billion following Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017.  Just as the Congress acted then, it is our sworn duty now to deliver the necessary resources to ensure that everyone in communities reeling from Hurricanes Helene and Milton — and those still recovering from previous disasters — have the Federal resources they need and deserve.

From rebuilding homes and reopening critical infrastructure, such as schools and roads — to supporting the Nation’s farmers and ranchers and ensuring access to healthcare services — impacted communities await your response.  There can be no delay.  I urge the Congress to act quickly to pass a supplemental funding package to assist communities impacted by these hurricanes — and every other disaster since the Congress last passed a comprehensive disaster package in 2022 — so that the people, families, businesses, and communities affected have the support they need to respond, recover, and rebuild responsibly.

Since the need for this funding arises from unforeseen and unanticipated events, my Administration continues to request that the amounts in this supplemental request be designated as emergency requirements pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. 

My Administration will be with those affected until the job is done. This request of supplemental funds is focused on the accounts that are most critical to aiding disaster survivors and impacted communities. My Administration will continue to assess the full resource requirements associated with long-term rebuilding and resilience efforts resulting from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, including those costs related to impacts to Federal facilities and infrastructure, and we will share those estimates as they become available. I urge the Congress to take immediate action, and I look forward to your partnership in delivering this critical relief to the American people.

                               Sincerely,

                               JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives Requesting for Additional Funding for Disaster Relief appeared first on The White House.

Dear Mr. Speaker:

With the Congress now back in session, I write to request urgently needed emergency funding to provide for an expeditious and meaningful Federal response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural disasters.  In the weeks since these deadly storms tore through communities across the Southeast, members of my Administration and I have traveled to Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina to meet with families, business owners, farmers, local and State officials, and first responders to stand with these communities in the wake of these disasters and to hear firsthand what they need from the Federal Government in order to make a full recovery.  Additional resources are critical to continue to support these communities.

Over the past month, members of my Administration have written to you and other congressional leaders to underscore the urgent need for additional funding to replenish key disaster response programs. Most urgently, the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) disaster loan program has completely exhausted its funding and the Congress must act as soon as possible to restore this funding.  As I outlined in my October 4th letter, my Administration has repeatedly underscored the need for the Congress to prevent a shortfall.  SBA loans are a pivotal lifeline for local businesses as well as individual survivors who use these loans to repair and rebuild their homes and replace or repair damaged property, including their personal vehicles.  SBA has already received over 100,000 loan applications for Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and the American people cannot afford any further delay in the restoration of this vital funding.

Urgent funding is also needed for the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) uses to help individuals and communities across the Nation recover from disasters.  Without additional funding, the DRF will face a shortfall this fiscal year, which will impact FEMA’s ability to provide life-saving and life-sustaining assistance to disaster survivors, as well as slow recovery from ongoing and prior disasters.  Funding for the Department of Agriculture is necessary to provide assistance to farmers, ranchers, and rural communities across the Nation affected by natural disasters.  Funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program is critical to help communities respond to the impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, as well as the devastating fires in Maui and tornados in Mississippi, Iowa, and Oklahoma.  My Administration is also requesting funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect critical access to safe drinking water, for the Department of Energy to rapidly restore power and rebuild the electric grid to better withstand future storms, and for the Department of Transportation to support rebuilding roads and bridges across 40 States and Territories, including Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.  Additional funding for the EPA is also needed to protect drinking water infrastructure, fund water system upgrades that would improve system performance, mitigate further future damage from extreme weather, and improve systems for low- and moderate-income households.

Additional action must also be taken to address the severe shortage of intravenous (IV) fluids and other critical medical products caused by Hurricane Helene.  The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) took critical steps this month to support access to these products, including ensuring restoration of key production sites, protecting products, and opening imports in partnership with manufacturers, distributors, hospitals, and other stakeholders.  My Administration is requesting funding for HHS to build supply chain capacity and resilience for IV fluids and other critical medical products to respond to current needs and to better prepare for disasters in the future.  In addition, Hurricanes Helene and Milton are expected to exhaust available funding balances for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), forcing the program to add to its debt to the Department of the Treasury. My Administration urges the Congress to cancel some or all of the NFIP’s debt to ensure NFIP policyholders and disaster survivors have a sustainable flood insurance program that provides the assistance they need after disaster strikes.

The Congress must also extend the deadlines for Hermit’s Peak fire claimants to request FEMA assistance, in order to ensure all applicants can receive compensation for losses in the aftermath of the fires in New Mexico.

The Congress has previously responded on a bipartisan basis to support communities in the wake of natural disasters — including providing over $90 billion in aid after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, over $50 billion following Hurricane Sandy in 2013, and over $120 billion following Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017.  Just as the Congress acted then, it is our sworn duty now to deliver the necessary resources to ensure that everyone in communities reeling from Hurricanes Helene and Milton — and those still recovering from previous disasters — have the Federal resources they need and deserve.

From rebuilding homes and reopening critical infrastructure, such as schools and roads — to supporting the Nation’s farmers and ranchers and ensuring access to healthcare services — impacted communities await your response.  There can be no delay.  I urge the Congress to act quickly to pass a supplemental funding package to assist communities impacted by these hurricanes — and every other disaster since the Congress last passed a comprehensive disaster package in 2022 — so that the people, families, businesses, and communities affected have the support they need to respond, recover, and rebuild responsibly.

Since the need for this funding arises from unforeseen and unanticipated events, my Administration continues to request that the amounts in this supplemental request be designated as emergency requirements pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. 

My Administration will be with those affected until the job is done. This request of supplemental funds is focused on the accounts that are most critical to aiding disaster survivors and impacted communities. My Administration will continue to assess the full resource requirements associated with long-term rebuilding and resilience efforts resulting from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, including those costs related to impacts to Federal facilities and infrastructure, and we will share those estimates as they become available. I urge the Congress to take immediate action, and I look forward to your partnership in delivering this critical relief to the American people.

                               Sincerely,

                               JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives Requesting for Additional Funding for Disaster Relief appeared first on The White House.

Museu da Amazônia
Manaus, Brazil

3:39 P.M. AMT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thanks for all being here.

Back in the late ‘80s, Chico Mendes, a Brazilian rubber tapper who turned environmental activist, said the following, I quote, “At first, I thought I was fighting to save rubber trees.  Then I thought I was fighting to save the Amazon rainforest.  Now I realize I was fighting for humanity.” 

At the time, I was a United States senator, working with a great Republican senator named Dick Lugar, from Indiana, to enact a new law: The United States would relieve other countries of debts owed to us if they commit to protecting their own forest.

These debt-for-nature swaps have since protected nearly 70 million acres of forests worldwide.

And today I’m proud to be here, the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Amazon rainforest, to recommit to 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 10 soccer fields worth of forests — each minute. 

That’s why we’ve been a leader internationally in the fight to end and reverse deforestation by twenty-twe- — by 2030.

That’s why we’ve led by example at home, conserving an area of the U.S. lands and waters larger — larger than the state of — the nation of Uruguay.

We’ve done it by fighting for Tribal partners — lifting them up; Indigenous communities; and most impacted by deforestation and climate change.

Today’s announcement will support Indigenous communities to do some — the same here in the Amazon.

We all know there’s much more we can do and must do at home and abroad.

That’s why today I issued an official proclamation to support the conservation of nature around the world, because the fight to protect our planet is literally a fight for humanity for generations to come.  It may be the only existential threat to all our nations and to all humanity that exists.

With today’s proclamation, I am proud to announce, first, the United States Development Finance Corporation will mobilize hundreds of millions of dollars in partnership with a Brazilian company to reforest the Amazon.

Second, we’re launching a Brazil Restoration and Bioeconomy Finance Coalition to mobilize at least $10 billion by 2030 to restore and protect 20,000 square miles of land. 

And, third, I’m announcing an additional $50 million to the Amazon Fund that’s already — we’ve giv- — already given $50 million.

Fourth, we’ll provide the funding to help launch President Lula’s important new initiative, the Tropical Forest Forever Fund.  It’s in the interest of all of us.  The United States benefits from that as much as any other country does, including here in Brazil.

I’m also so proud to support bipartisan legislation to launch a new foundation for international conservation that would leverage public funds to mobilize billions more in private capital.

The fight against climate change has been a defining cause of my presidency.

My administration first rejoined the Paris Agreement on climate change.  We’ve launched 150-nation-strong Global Methane Pledge.  We’ve delivered a record climate financing to developing countries.  And we’ve pledged that we would deliver $11 billion per year by 2024.  I’m pleased to announce today that we not only kept that promise, we’ve surpassed it.

Back home, I signed the most significant climate change law in history, a law that positioned us to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030, that’s generated $450 billion in new clean energy investments, and that’s created hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs and a manufacturing boom as well.

Folks, we don’t have to choose between the environment and the economy.  You can do both.  We’ve proven it back home.

It’s no secret that I’m leaving office in January.  I will have my su- — I will leave my successor and my country in a strong foundation to build on if they choose to do so.

It’s true some may seek to la- — 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.  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? 

Let me close with this.  It’s often said that the Amazon is the lungs of the world — the Amazon is the lungs of the world.  But in my view, our forests and national wonders are the heart and soul of the world. 

They unite us.  They inspire us.  They make us proud of our countries and heritage — a bridge to the past and to our future, a birthright we pass down from generation to generation. 

Zama- — the Amazon rainforest was built up over 50 million years — 50 million years.  History is literally watching us now. 

So, let’s preserve this sacred place, for our time and forever, for the benefit of all humanity.

Thank you very, very much.  (Applause.)

3:46 P.M. AMT

The post Remarks by President Biden in Statement to Press | Manaus, Brazil appeared first on The White House.

Museu da Amazônia
Manaus, Brazil

3:39 P.M. AMT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thanks for all being here.

Back in the late ‘80s, Chico Mendes, a Brazilian rubber tapper who turned environmental activist, said the following, I quote, “At first, I thought I was fighting to save rubber trees.  Then I thought I was fighting to save the Amazon rainforest.  Now I realize I was fighting for humanity.” 

At the time, I was a United States senator, working with a great Republican senator named Dick Lugar, from Indiana, to enact a new law: The United States would relieve other countries of debts owed to us if they commit to protecting their own forest.

These debt-for-nature swaps have since protected nearly 70 million acres of forests worldwide.

And today I’m proud to be here, the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Amazon rainforest, to recommit to 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 10 soccer fields worth of forests — each minute. 

That’s why we’ve been a leader internationally in the fight to end and reverse deforestation by twenty-twe- — by 2030.

That’s why we’ve led by example at home, conserving an area of the U.S. lands and waters larger — larger than the state of — the nation of Uruguay.

We’ve done it by fighting for Tribal partners — lifting them up; Indigenous communities; and most impacted by deforestation and climate change.

Today’s announcement will support Indigenous communities to do some — the same here in the Amazon.

We all know there’s much more we can do and must do at home and abroad.

That’s why today I issued an official proclamation to support the conservation of nature around the world, because the fight to protect our planet is literally a fight for humanity for generations to come.  It may be the only existential threat to all our nations and to all humanity that exists.

With today’s proclamation, I am proud to announce, first, the United States Development Finance Corporation will mobilize hundreds of millions of dollars in partnership with a Brazilian company to reforest the Amazon.

Second, we’re launching a Brazil Restoration and Bioeconomy Finance Coalition to mobilize at least $10 billion by 2030 to restore and protect 20,000 square miles of land. 

And, third, I’m announcing an additional $50 million to the Amazon Fund that’s already — we’ve giv- — already given $50 million.

Fourth, we’ll provide the funding to help launch President Lula’s important new initiative, the Tropical Forest Forever Fund.  It’s in the interest of all of us.  The United States benefits from that as much as any other country does, including here in Brazil.

I’m also so proud to support bipartisan legislation to launch a new foundation for international conservation that would leverage public funds to mobilize billions more in private capital.

The fight against climate change has been a defining cause of my presidency.

My administration first rejoined the Paris Agreement on climate change.  We’ve launched 150-nation-strong Global Methane Pledge.  We’ve delivered a record climate financing to developing countries.  And we’ve pledged that we would deliver $11 billion per year by 2024.  I’m pleased to announce today that we not only kept that promise, we’ve surpassed it.

Back home, I signed the most significant climate change law in history, a law that positioned us to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030, that’s generated $450 billion in new clean energy investments, and that’s created hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs and a manufacturing boom as well.

Folks, we don’t have to choose between the environment and the economy.  You can do both.  We’ve proven it back home.

It’s no secret that I’m leaving office in January.  I will have my su- — I will leave my successor and my country in a strong foundation to build on if they choose to do so.

It’s true some may seek to la- — 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.  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? 

Let me close with this.  It’s often said that the Amazon is the lungs of the world — the Amazon is the lungs of the world.  But in my view, our forests and national wonders are the heart and soul of the world. 

They unite us.  They inspire us.  They make us proud of our countries and heritage — a bridge to the past and to our future, a birthright we pass down from generation to generation. 

Zama- — the Amazon rainforest was built up over 50 million years — 50 million years.  History is literally watching us now. 

So, let’s preserve this sacred place, for our time and forever, for the benefit of all humanity.

Thank you very, very much.  (Applause.)

3:46 P.M. AMT

The post Remarks by President Biden in Statement to Press | Manaus, Brazil appeared first on The White House.

     Today, I am proud to become the first sitting American President to visit the Amazon and to proclaim the first International Conservation Day, reflecting all that is at stake in the fight against climate change and honoring the power and promise of conservation work.  On International Conservation Day, we recommit to working with partners across our Nation and around the world to safeguard our natural treasures.
     When we work together to defend our lands and waters, everyone benefits.  That is because conservation is about more than protecting our world’s beautiful natural wonders — it is about protecting the livelihoods of the people who depend on them; preserving our diverse habitats and the wildlife that lives within them; increasing resiliency throughout our lands, seascapes, and riverscapes; and ensuring our lands and waters can be enjoyed by all.   
     That is why my Administration has delivered on the most ambitious land and water conservation agenda in American history — leading by the power of our example.  When I first came into office, I issued an Executive Order that established the United States’ first-ever conservation goal — aiming to protect at least 30 percent of our Nation’s lands and waters by 2030.  My America the Beautiful initiative has advanced that work by supporting voluntary, locally led conservation and restoration.  These efforts have not only helped local communities, Tribes, farmers, ranchers, foresters, and fishers to address the climate crisis and protect lands and waters.  They have also created jobs, strengthened the economy, and expanded access to the outdoors across our country.  I also signed an Executive Order to safeguard and steward our Nation’s forests and make our ecosystems more resilient in the fight against climate change.  And we launched the America the Beautiful Freshwater Challenge to protect, restore, and reconnect 8 million acres of wetlands and 100,000 miles of our Nation’s rivers and streams to safeguard clean water for all.  
     I am also proud that my Administration made the largest investment in history to confront the climate crisis through my Inflation Reduction Act and has conserved more than 45 million acres of our Nation’s lands and waters.  We have established, expanded, and restored 11 national monuments and protected the United States Arctic Ocean from new oil and gas leasing.  And together with my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we have invested in restoration and conservation, including $50 billion to strengthen community and ecosystem resilience to climate change.  Further, I launched the American Climate Corps to mobilize a new, diverse generation of Americans in conserving and restoring our lands and waters, bolstering community resilience, deploying clean energy, and advancing environmental justice — all while creating good jobs.  
     Around the world, my Administration has made extraordinary progress in advancing conservation.  We moved to rejoin the Paris Agreement on day one of my Administration, and we put our country in a position to cut emissions in half by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.  In 2021, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, we released the Plan to Conserve Global Forests — a first-of-its-kind national strategy to preserve global ecosystems that serve as vital carbon sinks.  We also joined other nations in pledging to end deforestation by 2030, backed by the biggest ever commitment of public funds for forest conservation and a plan to make 75 percent of forest commodity supply chains sustainable.  In 2022, we helped rally countries around the world to commit to conserve at least 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030, mirroring the goal we had set at home.  We also joined other countries at the United Nations to sign the High Seas Treaty, committing to working together to establish marine protected areas on the high seas — a critical step to conserve ocean biodiversity and reach the global community’s goal to conserve or protect at least 30 percent of the ocean by 2030. 
     My Administration has also delivered record climate financing to support developing countries’ efforts to preserve and protect these vital ecosystems that serve as critical carbon sinks, accelerate the clean energy transition, and bolster their resilience to climate change.  In 2021, I pledged that our Nation would deliver $11 billion per year in climate financing by 2024.  I am proud that we not only kept that promise, but surpassed it.  This includes fulfilling my pledge to invest over $3 billion per year to help vulnerable countries around the world mitigate and adapt to climate change as part of my Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience.  I am also proud that — with our recent $50 million investment — my Administration has provided over $100 million to the Amazon Fund.  At the same time, our Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has helped mobilize over $1 billion in investment to support the restoration of degraded lands in Brazil, Uruguay, and Chile, helping create a market that values keeping this vital ecosystem alive and thriving.  
     There is still so much to do to ensure that we protect our world’s most precious ecosystems and natural treasures.  That is why the DFC is investing in one of the largest reforestation projects in the world, beginning with the Brazilian Amazon.  I am proud that my Administration is working with over a dozen international partners to launch the Brazil Restoration and Bioeconomy Finance Coalition to mobilize at least $10 billion for land restoration and bioeconomy-related projects by 2030.  And I am proud to support President Lula of Brazil’s bold vision of creating the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, a path-breaking new initiative that would incentivize countries to protect their tropical forests while supporting the local and Indigenous communities stewarding these forests and ensuring these vital ecosystems continue to thrive.  
     It has been said that the Amazon rainforest is the lungs of the world.  Forests like these, that stretch across the Americas, Africa, and Asia — including the Amazon, Tongass, Congo, and Sundaland — represent our heart and soul.  Now more than ever, we must recommit to the urgent work of addressing climate change — together, we can ensure that these treasures will be enjoyed for generations to come.  
     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 17, 2024, as International Conservation Day.  
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.

                        JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

The post A Proclamation on International Conservation Day, 2024 appeared first on The White House.

     Today, I am proud to become the first sitting American President to visit the Amazon and to proclaim the first International Conservation Day, reflecting all that is at stake in the fight against climate change and honoring the power and promise of conservation work.  On International Conservation Day, we recommit to working with partners across our Nation and around the world to safeguard our natural treasures.
     When we work together to defend our lands and waters, everyone benefits.  That is because conservation is about more than protecting our world’s beautiful natural wonders — it is about protecting the livelihoods of the people who depend on them; preserving our diverse habitats and the wildlife that lives within them; increasing resiliency throughout our lands, seascapes, and riverscapes; and ensuring our lands and waters can be enjoyed by all.   
     That is why my Administration has delivered on the most ambitious land and water conservation agenda in American history — leading by the power of our example.  When I first came into office, I issued an Executive Order that established the United States’ first-ever conservation goal — aiming to protect at least 30 percent of our Nation’s lands and waters by 2030.  My America the Beautiful initiative has advanced that work by supporting voluntary, locally led conservation and restoration.  These efforts have not only helped local communities, Tribes, farmers, ranchers, foresters, and fishers to address the climate crisis and protect lands and waters.  They have also created jobs, strengthened the economy, and expanded access to the outdoors across our country.  I also signed an Executive Order to safeguard and steward our Nation’s forests and make our ecosystems more resilient in the fight against climate change.  And we launched the America the Beautiful Freshwater Challenge to protect, restore, and reconnect 8 million acres of wetlands and 100,000 miles of our Nation’s rivers and streams to safeguard clean water for all.  
     I am also proud that my Administration made the largest investment in history to confront the climate crisis through my Inflation Reduction Act and has conserved more than 45 million acres of our Nation’s lands and waters.  We have established, expanded, and restored 11 national monuments and protected the United States Arctic Ocean from new oil and gas leasing.  And together with my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we have invested in restoration and conservation, including $50 billion to strengthen community and ecosystem resilience to climate change.  Further, I launched the American Climate Corps to mobilize a new, diverse generation of Americans in conserving and restoring our lands and waters, bolstering community resilience, deploying clean energy, and advancing environmental justice — all while creating good jobs.  
     Around the world, my Administration has made extraordinary progress in advancing conservation.  We moved to rejoin the Paris Agreement on day one of my Administration, and we put our country in a position to cut emissions in half by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.  In 2021, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, we released the Plan to Conserve Global Forests — a first-of-its-kind national strategy to preserve global ecosystems that serve as vital carbon sinks.  We also joined other nations in pledging to end deforestation by 2030, backed by the biggest ever commitment of public funds for forest conservation and a plan to make 75 percent of forest commodity supply chains sustainable.  In 2022, we helped rally countries around the world to commit to conserve at least 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030, mirroring the goal we had set at home.  We also joined other countries at the United Nations to sign the High Seas Treaty, committing to working together to establish marine protected areas on the high seas — a critical step to conserve ocean biodiversity and reach the global community’s goal to conserve or protect at least 30 percent of the ocean by 2030. 
     My Administration has also delivered record climate financing to support developing countries’ efforts to preserve and protect these vital ecosystems that serve as critical carbon sinks, accelerate the clean energy transition, and bolster their resilience to climate change.  In 2021, I pledged that our Nation would deliver $11 billion per year in climate financing by 2024.  I am proud that we not only kept that promise, but surpassed it.  This includes fulfilling my pledge to invest over $3 billion per year to help vulnerable countries around the world mitigate and adapt to climate change as part of my Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience.  I am also proud that — with our recent $50 million investment — my Administration has provided over $100 million to the Amazon Fund.  At the same time, our Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has helped mobilize over $1 billion in investment to support the restoration of degraded lands in Brazil, Uruguay, and Chile, helping create a market that values keeping this vital ecosystem alive and thriving.  
     There is still so much to do to ensure that we protect our world’s most precious ecosystems and natural treasures.  That is why the DFC is investing in one of the largest reforestation projects in the world, beginning with the Brazilian Amazon.  I am proud that my Administration is working with over a dozen international partners to launch the Brazil Restoration and Bioeconomy Finance Coalition to mobilize at least $10 billion for land restoration and bioeconomy-related projects by 2030.  And I am proud to support President Lula of Brazil’s bold vision of creating the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, a path-breaking new initiative that would incentivize countries to protect their tropical forests while supporting the local and Indigenous communities stewarding these forests and ensuring these vital ecosystems continue to thrive.  
     It has been said that the Amazon rainforest is the lungs of the world.  Forests like these, that stretch across the Americas, Africa, and Asia — including the Amazon, Tongass, Congo, and Sundaland — represent our heart and soul.  Now more than ever, we must recommit to the urgent work of addressing climate change — together, we can ensure that these treasures will be enjoyed for generations to come.  
     NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 17, 2024, as International Conservation Day.  
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.

                        JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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