Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva has launched an international fund intended to protect the Amazon while preserving Brazilian sovereignty. The goal is to raise $21 billion by 2021 from domestic and foreign donors, and the funds will be used for sustainable development, alternatives to logging, and conservation efforts.

The Brazilian government wants to make it clear that while accepting foreign aid, environmental policy would not be up for discussion amongst other countries, and that the Brazilian government alone will be responsible for environmental programs. The government has also implied that it accepts the link between global warming and deforestation, though until now other factors had been blamed for global warming.

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