Brazil is taking back its offer to host the U.N. climate conference next November just over a month after offering to do so.
Brazil's Foreign Ministry pulled the offer on Wednesday, citing budget constraints and a transition of presidential power.
When Brazil offered to host the 2019 climate talks, it said the move "confirm[ed] the country's leading role in sustainable development issues, especially in relation to climate change."
Brazil is home to 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest. Scientists say the rainforest is a "natural buffer" against climate change.
Environmental group Observatorio da Clima says the foreign ministry's decision to pull the offer "is regrettable, but not surprising." The group points the finger at "opposition from the elected government."
President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, who's set to take over Jan. 1, promised during his campaign to pull Brazil out of the 2015 Paris climate agreement. He has since backtracked on that promise but has still pushed for looser environmental regulations.
Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.
