Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that the United States will soon launch an Amazon-wide regional pact to reduce deforestation, a bid to fight a key factor in climate change.

On a visit to Colombia weeks before a high-stakes UN climate summit in Glasgow, Blinken toured a greenhouse in Bogota's botanical gardens where he saw US-backed projects to encourage chocolate, tourism and other industries rather than logging.

"We can make major strides in dealing with the climate crisis," Blinken said.

Washington's top diplomat said the United States would finalize "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 said the pact would also include financial assistance to help manage protected indigenous areas and support the livelihoods of farmers.

Without giving further details, Blinken said he expected the partnership would help preserve 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres) of forest and prevent the emissions of 19 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.

Rainforests are crucial for the environment because they serve as huge carbon sinks, but greenhouse gas emissions from burning and industrial-scale agriculture in the Amazon account for higher total annual emissions than those of Italy or Spain.

By far the largest Amazon nation is Brazil, where President Jair Bolsonaro has championed big agriculture in the forest and has been accused of abetting the killings of environmental defenders.

President Joe Biden's administration has been courting Brazil ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow in hopes of making progress, with Blinken declining during his Bogota visit to answer a question about concerns on Bolsonaro's record.

Colombia, a close US ally, has some of the most ambitious climate goals in Latin America with President Ivan Duque targeting zero deforestation by 2030.

Meeting Blinken, Environment Minister Carlos Eduardo Correa noted that around one-third of the country was in the Amazon and said climate change "is forcing us to build a new economic, social and environmental model."

In Glasgow "the entire planet is hoping for important announcements -- actions," he said.

Blinken, who hailed Duque during his visit despite criticism by some on the US left of his record on police brutality, said that the president has shown "remarkable leadership" on climate and that "Team Colombia is very much present" ahead of Glasgow.

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Brazil, Colombia 'united' in defense of Amazon ahead of UN summit
Brasilia, Brazil Oct 19, 2021
Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro and his Colombia counterpart Ivan Duque said on Tuesday they would head to the next UN climate summit "united" in defense of the Amazon. The Cop26 climate conference begins in Glasgow on October 31 and will last two weeks. "We will arrive in Glasgow untied to tackle a very important and dear affair for all of us: our dear, rich and desirable Amazon," said Bolsonaro following his meeting with Duque in Brasilia. Duque said the countries that share the Amazon - ... read more