Can Lula save the Amazon? His record shows he might just pull it off
Andre Pagliarini
Brazil’s new president is determined to reverse Bolsonaro’s scorched-earth approach to the environment
Aerial view of the Amazon rainforest.
‘On Lula’s first day in office he signed an Amazon Fund measure, which allows foreign governments to help pay for preservation efforts.’ Photograph: Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty Images
Tue 3 Jan 2023 09.00 EST
This week, as Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was preparing to be sworn in for an unprecedented third term, a key concern was whether the weather would allow him to wave to assembled supporters in Brasília from an open-top convertible, as is customary. It certainly marked a departure from the more serious concerns that had haunted the transfer of power between him and his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, in previous weeks.
Can Lula save the Amazon? His record shows he might just pull it off
Andre Pagliarini
Brazil’s new president is determined to reverse Bolsonaro’s scorched-earth approach to the environment
Aerial view of the Amazon rainforest.
‘On Lula’s first day in office he signed an Amazon Fund measure, which allows foreign governments to help pay for preservation efforts.’ Photograph: Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty Images
Tue 3 Jan 2023 09.00 EST
Last modified on Tue 3 Jan 2023 10.16 EST
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This week, as Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was preparing to be sworn in for an unprecedented third term, a key concern was whether the weather would allow him to wave to assembled supporters in Brasília from an open-top convertible, as is customary. It certainly marked a departure from the more serious concerns that had haunted the transfer of power between him and his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, in previous weeks.
Thousands of Bolsonaro followers, after all, had refused to accept the outcome of last year’s elections. Many camped outside military barracks urging the armed forces to intervene, committing serious acts of vandalism in the nation’s capital. Thankfully, their pleas came to nothing – Bolsonaro unceremoniously left for Florida on the last day of the year – and Lula is officially back.
No president in Latin America’s largest nation has ever won three elections, a testament to the former metalworker’s enduring popularity and political relevance. Lula faces many challenges, particularly given the scorched-earth nature of Bolsonaro’s policies. In this context, his first measures after taking office assume special symbolic importance, setting the tone for what observers at home and abroad might expect from this new administration.
This brings us to the fate of the Amazon rainforest. In his inaugural address to congress, Lula said, “Our goal is to achieve zero deforestation in the Amazon and zero greenhouse gas emissions in the electricity matrix, in addition to encouraging the revitalisation of degraded pastures.” Implicitly criticising Brazil’s major agricultural producers, which are overwhelmingly responsible for environmental degradation, Lula insisted: “Brazil does not need to deforest to maintain and expand its strategic agricultural frontier.”
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/03/lula-protect-amazon-brazil-bolsonaro
