Biden visits Amazon, says climate legacy irreversible
Nobody can reverse America's 'clean energy revolution,' said the president, despite the incoming Trump administration's promises to dismantle climate policies
What happened
President Joe Biden made a stopover in the Brazilian Amazon Sunday, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit the world's largest tropical rainforest. Biden took a helicopter tour of the jungle around Manaus and visited a nearby nature reserve situated where the Negro and Amazon rivers meet, signing a declaration designating Nov. 17 International Conservation Day.
Who said what
"The fight against climate change has been a defining cause of my presidency," Biden said, noting hundreds of billions of dollars of U.S. investments in renewable energy and global climate aid. "I will leave my successor and my country a strong foundation to build on, if they choose to do so." It's true that "some may seek to deny or delay the clean energy revolution that's underway in America, but nobody — nobody — can reverse it," he added. Not when so many Americans are "enjoying its benefits" and "countries around the world are harnessing the clean energy revolution to pull ahead themselves."
President-elect Donald Trump is threatening to rip Biden's climate policies "to shreds when he returns to office in January," Politico said. Trump has "pledged to again pull out of the Paris agreement" and "rescind unspent money in energy efficiency legislation," The Associated Press said. And on Saturday he picked Chris Wright, "the head of fracking company Liberty Energy," to be the next energy secretary, The Washington Post said. Wright "contends that the climate crisis is a myth" and "runs a foundation that promotes expanded fossil fuel production."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Biden travels next to Rio de Janeiro for a G20 summit "where the future of global climate policy is likely to be a major point of discussion," Politico said. At a concurrent United Nations climate summit in Azerbaijan, "global leaders were already discussing a path forward without the U.S. playing a key leadership role."
-
The Night Manager series two: ‘irresistible’ follow-up is ‘smart, compelling’ TVThe Week Recommends Second instalment of the spy thriller keeps its ‘pace’, ‘intrigue’ and ‘sly sexiness’
-
11 hotels opening in 2026 to help you reconnect with natureThe Week Recommends Find peace on the beaches of Mexico and on a remote Estonian island
-
Zimbabwe’s driving crisisUnder the Radar Southern African nation is experiencing a ‘public health disaster’ with one of the highest road fatality rates in the world
-
‘Jumping genes’: how polar bears are rewiring their DNA to survive the warming ArcticUnder the radar The species is adapting to warmer temperatures
-
Environment breakthroughs of 2025In Depth Progress was made this year on carbon dioxide tracking, food waste upcycling, sodium batteries, microplastic monitoring and green concrete
-
Crest falling: Mount Rainier and 4 other mountains are losing heightUnder the radar Its peak elevation is approximately 20 feet lower than it once was
-
Death toll from Southeast Asia storms tops 1,000speed read Catastrophic floods and landslides have struck Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia
-
Can for-profit geoengineering put a pause on climate change?In the Spotlight Stardust Solutions wants to dim the sun. Scientists are worried.
-
How will climate change affect the UK?The Explainer Met Office projections show the UK getting substantially warmer and wetter – with more extreme weather events
-
Can the UK do more on climate change?Today's Big Question Labour has shown leadership in the face of fraying international consensus, but must show the public their green mission is ‘a net benefit, not a net cost’
-
Did Cop30 fulfil its promise to Indigenous Brazilians?Today’s Big Question Brazilian president approves 10 new protected territories, following ‘unprecedented’ Indigenous presence at conference, both as delegates and protesters
