We’re in Westminster right now for the rainforest

We’re in Westminster right now asking the UK Government to give £115 million (just 1% of the climate budget) to people who live in the rainforest. Why? Because it’s the most direct and fastest way to solve the climate crisis.

Members of Cool Earth team stood outside Westminster.

The deep dive: 

As I write this, I am in Westminster. I’ve just met with Members of Parliament, and some of the UK’s most well known climate leaders to push for a bold but simple change in how the UK funds climate action: Today I asked them to give just 1% of the UK’s climate funds to people who live in rainforests.

That’s just £115 million, of the £11.5 billion already pledged to climate.

Why? Because we know it works.

For 17 years, Cool Earth has partnered with communities in Peru, Papua New Guinea, and the Congo Basin, getting cash directly to the people who live in and rely on the rainforest. The result? Forest loss rates are as low as 0.05% per year. I’ve seen that when local people have the resources and autonomy to protect their lands, deforestation drops dramatically.

This morning I showed MPs the evidence: Indigenous peoples already safeguard over half of the world’s remaining intact rainforest, but they don’t get enough support to continue to do so.

My team at Cool Earth can show that just 1% of the UK’s climate finance could keep 33 million tonnes of carbon locked in rainforest soils and trees, equivalent to London’s entire annual emissions. No expensive technology, no red tape. Just a cost-effective, fast, and fair climate solution.

My message is clear: back people, protect rainforests, fight the climate crisis.

But I wanted to end with a thank you. Giving cash directly to Indigenous peoples and local communities is not on the Government’s agenda but today, because of you, we’ve been able to put it on the table. Your support over the last 17 years has helped us build a model that works and evidence it to decision makers.

Protecting rainforests doesn’t have to be complicated or costly. It just takes political will.

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