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Despite UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer acknowledging that global political support for the climate movement is waning, he told the gathering of those that were present: "My message is that the UK is all in." However, on Wednesday night, in a blow to the Brazilian hosts, the UK chose to opt out of its flagship $125bn (£95bn) fund to support the world's rainforests. President Lula hoped that $25bn could be raised for the Tropical Forests Forever Facility from public sources – mainly from developed countries like the UK – to support governments and communities protecting the world's rainforests like the Amazon and the Congo Basin. The protection of these ecosystems is crucial for tackling climate change - they cover just 6% of the world's land, yet store billions of tonnes of planet-warming gases and host half of the planet's species. The move by the UK has come as a surprise as it had been heavily involved in the fund's design, and launched a global commitment for countries to halt deforestation by 2030 when it hosted the COP summit in Glasgow in 2021. Lord Zach Goldsmith, who worked on the issue when he was former environment minister, told the BBC's PM programme: "The assumption was that the UK would be a leading participant and at the last minute the UK has walked away. It has caused real frustration to put it mildly here in Brazil.. the Brazilian government behind the scenes is furious." The decision also seems at odds with the stance of the Prince of Wales. Also addressing leaders on Thursday he declared the fund "a visionary step toward valuing nature's role in climate stability" and shortlisted it for his £1m Earthshot Prize. COP26: World leaders promise to end deforestation by 2030
