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OSLO (Reuters) - Brazil must demonstrate it can reduce the ongoing deforestation in the Amazon before Norway will resume payments in support of preserving the world’s largest rainforest, the Norwegian environment minister told Reuters.
FILE PHOTO: A charred trunk is seen on a tract of the Amazon jungle, that was recently burned by loggers and farmers, in Porto Velho, Brazil August 23, 2019. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino
Norway worked closely with Brazil to protect the vulnerable ecosystem between 2008 and 2018, paying $1.2 billion into the Amazon Fund, which pays Brazil to prevent, monitor and combat deforestation. Oslo has by far been the biggest donor.
Indonesia, with the world's third biggest rainforest area, reduced the rate of deforestation by 75% last year by controlling forest fires more effectively and limiting clearing of woodland, the Environment Ministry said.
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(Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A former Australian finance minister vying to become the new head of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said he would pursue an “ambitious” and “global” approach to help nations become carbon-neutral by 2050.
Mathias Cormann, Australia’s longest-serving finance minister until last year, is one of two candidates hoping to take over as OECD secretary-general from outgoing Angel Gurría.
But last week, the heads of about 30 Australian and global charities and research institutions signed a letter urging the Paris-based organisation to drop Cormann from the race, saying he had a public record of “thwarting effective climate action”.
The condition of German forests has deteriorated to record levels due to fire, drought and a bark beetle infestation, the agriculture minister said on Wednesday, prompting calls from environmental groups for greener policies.
Australia's competition regulator on Thursday raised initial concerns over Aon's $30 billion bid for Willis Towers Watson to create the world's largest insurance broker, close on the heels of a similar move by EU antitrust regulators.