‘We urge your government (Biden´s) to listen to our call and not to reach any agreement with Brazil at this time,’ say celebrities such as actor Leonardo DiCaprio, pop star Katy Perry and musicians Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil wrote in the open letter addressed to Biden.
The letter is aimed at taking ‘urgent measures to face threats to the Amazon, our climate and human rights. But an agreement with Bolsonaro is not the solution.’
We encourage you, the letter read, to continue talking to the indigenous peoples and traditional communities of the Amazon basin, to sub-national governments and civil society before announcing any commitment.
Earlier April, more than 200 Brazilian entities sent a letter to the White House asking that no agreement be reached with Bolsonaro.
Last week, Democratic senators sent a message to Biden asking him to only release funds to Brazil to help preserve the Amazon if there is a serious commitment from Bolsonaro to reduce deforestation and punish environmental crimes.
In a recent meeting with members of John Kerry´s team, the organizations emphasized that Jair Bolsonaro cannot be trusted.
Recently, in a letter sent to Biden, Bolsonaro pledged to end illegal deforestation in Brazil by 2030 and assured that it ‘will require enormous resources and comprehensive public policies.’
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