EPA Administrator Jackson to lead Public-Private Delegation to Brazil / Initiative seeks to expand US environmental business markets, create US jobs, build greener economies a...
WASHINGTON – On August 15-19, US Environmental Protection
Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson will travel to Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, with the mayor of Philadelphia Michael Nutter and representatives from US
industry, government, academia and non-governmental organizations
including, CH2MHILL, Morgan Stanley, Microsoft Corporation, Alcoa,
the Rockefeller Foundation, Harvard University, C40 Cities and
others to establish the United States-Brazil Joint Initiative on
Urban Sustainability.
The initiative follows President Obama and
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's announcement in March
launching a set of high-level activities focused on expanding
markets for US business and mobilizing innovative finance aimed at
demonstrating the economic, environmental, and health benefits of
greener and cleaner cities. Administrator Jackson will be joined by
her counterpart, Brazil's Minister of Environment Izabella
Teixeira, Governor of Rio de Janeiro State Sergio Cabral, and Mayor
of Rio de Janeiro Eduardo Paes.
"This is a perfect example of our environmental and our economic
priorities coming together. It is a chance for American businesses,
urban development experts and EPA officials to meet with our
counterparts in Brazil and talk about our shared opportunities to
create jobs while advancing urban sustainability and building
healthier places to live and work," said Administrator Jackson.
"With the significant investments in sustainable urban growth that
Rio is making in the next four years, it is essential that we go
there to both learn and share our expertise. We want to be a part
of activities that can create new jobs for American companies and
foster cleaner, greener communities for the American people."
As the upcoming host of both the 2014 World Cup
and the 2016 Olympics, Brazil has a unique opportunity to leverage
approximately $200 billion in traditional infrastructure
investments and push sustainable infrastructure to the top of its
national agenda in a manner that supports both strong economic
growth and sustainable development. Given President
Rousseff’s interest in building 21st century cities and the
importance President Obama places on building stronger and more
sustainable communities, this US-Brazil initiative provides an
opportunity to demonstrate global leadership on smart investments
in healthier and more prosperous cities. The initiative will
showcase the key outcomes of this cooperation at Rio +20 in June of
2012.
Administrator Jackson will lead a number of
high-level meetings along with Minister Teixeira, and engage with
federal and local officials, industry and stakeholders to advance
the initiative. Following the meetings, Administrator Jackson will
participate in a number of community development activities and
connect with students and faculty at leading universities to build
on President Obama’s Memorandum of Understanding on Major
Global Sporting Events announced on March 19, 2011.
More information on US-Brazil Joint Initiative
on Urban Sustainability: https://www.epa.gov/international-cooperation
