Biden becomes first sitting US president to visit Amazon rainforest

President Biden becomes the first sitting US president to visit the Amazon rainforest, traveling to Manaus, Brazil, during his trip to the G20 Summit. Biden tours the rainforest by boat, meeting with Indigenous leaders and scientists, and announces a $50 million US contribution to the Amazon Fund, an international fund supporting Brazil's efforts to preserve the world's largest tropical forest. Biden frames the visit as a direct statement that climate change is an existential threat that must be confronted. The trip also includes attendance at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The Amazon has experienced record droughts and fires in 2024 linked to climate change.