BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) 鈥� Alexis Damancio Silva can鈥檛 forget the hardship in his town of Puerto Narino in far southern Colombia last year when nearly dried up the Amazon River. Pink dolphins and fish died. Crops dried up. The town lost its easy access to markets.
Silva is hopeful the U.S. would help fund projects that could make Indigenous communities like his more resilient 鈥� solar panels for energy to refrigerate fish, for example, or cisterns to catch precious rain water.
鈥淲e ask the government of President Trump ... to send us resources,鈥� to help the region鈥檚 Indigenous people, he said in a Zoom interview with The Associated Press. Little comes from the state, he said.
Environmental groups say that's unlikely to happen, and that was even before Trump for almost
They fear Donald Trump's second administration will bring nothing good for the Amazon rainforest. Besides Trump's Day 1 move to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, they fear he'll cut U.S. funding for policing that has targeted illegal logging, mining and other things that have damaged the rainforest. They also worry he will back right-wing politicians who favor aggressive development in the Amazon, which is critical for storing carbon dioxide that would otherwise warm the planet.
鈥淭he implications of the Trump administration for the Amazon rainforest range from very concerning to horrifying,鈥� said Andrew Miller, director of nonprofit Amazon Watch.
Trump's first week back in office was loaded with executive orders that prioritized fossil fuels, including declaring an energy emergency in the U.S. and his intent to sweep aside barriers to developing oil and gas. They've also been wrapped in an 鈥淎merica First鈥� message that doesn't fit with expansive foreign aid.
On Sunday, he swiftly faced down Colombia President Gustavo Petro on Sunday by threatening steep tariffs after carrying deported migrants to land in Colombia. Trump's plans to play hardball in the region were evident weeks ago when he suggested he could use military force to .
Miller said his organization had advised its partners 鈥渢o assume the Trump administration priorities will not include climate, environmental or Indigenous rights programs.鈥�
In Trump's first term, U.S. Agency for International Development's budget ranged from about $17 billion to $27 billion annually, with significant proposed cuts that were often moderated by Congress. Under President Joe Biden, USAID鈥檚 budget rose to $30.5 billion in 2024, with a focus on global health, climate action, humanitarian aid, and promoting democracy. The new administration said the aid freeze would be in place for 90 days as it considers which programs to keep.
In Brazil, home to around 60% of the Amazon, organized crime like logging and drug trafficking thrived under the far-right presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, with severe environmental consequences. President Luiz In谩cio Lula da Silva made the protection of the Amazon a central priority when he took office in 2023.
Brazil's environment minister, Marina Silva, told the AP that Trump鈥檚 return poses a significant test for U.S. democracy and international institutions, and that as the world's second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, it is 鈥渃rucial鈥� the U.S. fulfills its responsibilities.
She sees some hope, saying the world has much stronger climate governance nowadays in the face of the climate crisis.
鈥淭his doesn鈥檛 mean we鈥檒l have an easy time with Trump in office, quite the opposite,鈥� Marina Silva said. 鈥淲e just have to acknowledge that we麓re already seeing some companies and leaders ... abandoning or loosening commitments made previously.鈥�
Since Trump's election, several major U.S. banks have withdrawn from a network aimed at lending practices that square with a global commitment to reduced emissions.
Silva said it's important for countries to keep 鈥渞eaffirming the size of the climate challenges鈥� and showing how to overcome them. 鈥淩eality needs to take precedence over President Trump鈥檚 well-known denialist rhetoric,鈥� she said.
The Trump administration did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Support for pro-development politicians?
Development in the Amazon is a polarizing issue in Brazil. Lawmakers who support it focus on economic growth, job creation, and infrastructure. More liberal lawmakers, environmentalists and Indigenous rights groups oppose it over damage to the environment and impacts on people who live in the forest.
Lula has had some success in clamping down on illegal logging, mining, drug trafficking, and conversion of land for agriculture. That came with support from Biden, who in November became the first U.S. president to visit the Amazon and pledged $50 million to the Amazon Fund, which raises money to protect the Amazon rainforest. Much of that money went toward increased policing in the region.
Carlos Nobre, a Brazilian climate scientist and leading researcher studying the Amazon rainforest, said he didn't see Trump continuing that commitment. He also said he is concerned about Trump's past support for Bolsonaro, and expected him to again boost right-wing politicians.
Though Bolsonaro is for office until 2030, his son Eduardo is a potential presidential candidate next year and Brazil's National Congress has plenty of members who favor Amazonian development.
Jair Bolsonaro, who has supported Trump's false claims of a stolen 2020 election, tried to attend his inauguration but wasn't allowed to leave Brazil to attend. Eduardo Bolsonaro did attend.
Miller expected Trump to tilt toward 鈥渆xtreme right-wing candidates鈥� who offer him praise, boosting them in elections.
"Their policies, should they be elected, will spell disaster for the Amazon rainforest in the foreseeable future," Miller said. 鈥淭rump 2.0 will offer Amazonian governments a permission structure to ignore or walk back climate commitments, precisely at the moment when protection of the rainforest demands greater ambition and regional coordination.鈥�
Miller is most concerned about U.S. support for multilateral human rights mechanisms like the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
鈥淏oth are important for the protection of threatened Amazon community leaders and environmental defenders," he said.
Funding cuts and multinational cooperation
John Walsh, director for drug policy and the Andes at the Washington Office on Latin America, said funding cuts are his major concern after policy.
鈥淲e can expect steep cuts if not entire elimination of U.S. foreign aid that was directed towards climate mitigation and adaptation globally,鈥� Walsh said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 matched by the incoming administration鈥檚 focus on how to cut the federal budget in ways that will fall almost entirely on discretionary programs that don鈥檛 have solid constituencies domestically." .
Trump was generally skeptical of multinational cooperation in his first term, preferring a more unilateral approach to foreign policy with his administration often prioritizing U.S. interests over international agreements or collaborations.
篓For an issue like climate change, that is a collective action problem ... and for the world鈥檚 largest economy and historically the largest emitter of carbon dioxide to absent itself from that ... is significant," Walsh said.
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The Associated Press鈥� climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP鈥檚 for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at .
Steven Grattan, The Associated Press
