US to launch Amazon-wide pact to reduce deforestation: Blinken | Al Jazeera

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced that the United States will soon launch an Amazon-wide regional pact to reduce deforestation, a significant contributor to climate change.

On a visit to Colombia, ahead of next week’s high-stakes United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Blinken toured a greenhouse in Bogota’s botanical gardens on Thursday, where he saw US-backed projects to encourage chocolate, tourism and other industries that offer an alternative to logging.

“By conserving Colombia’s forests, promoting more sustainable agriculture, we can make major strides in dealing with the climate crisis as well,” he said.

Blinken said the US would finalise “in the coming days” a “new regional partnership specifically focused on addressing commodity-driven deforestation”.

The initiative will “provide actionable information to companies so that they can really reduce their reliance on deforestation,” Blinken said.

He added that the pact would also include financial support to help manage protected Indigenous areas and support the livelihood of farmers.