U.S. joins $3.5 bln scheme to fight deforestation

The United States has pledged $1 billion as part of a $3.5 billion scheme as initial financing towards slowing deforestation, a major contributor to climate change, a U.S. government statement said on Wednesday.

The United States has pledged $1 billion as part of a $3.5 billion scheme as initial financing towards slowing deforestation, a major contributor to climate change, a U.S. government statement said on Wednesday.

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Australia, France, Japan, Norway and Britain are also part of the forest protection plan announced at U.N. climate talks in the Danish capital where world leaders are trying to seal the outline of a tougher pact to avoid dangerous global warming.

The U.S. government said the money would be contingent on an ambitious political agreement on fighting climate change coming out of the Copenhagen talks.