Ex-President Lula narrowly defeated incumbent Bolsonaro in Brazil’s elections. This means a 180-degree turnaround for climate protection. The new Brazilian head of state wants to underpin this symbolically – and bring the next climate summit to the rainforest.
The elected Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wants to prioritize the fight against climate change and the protection of the Amazon region in his future government work. “There is no climate security in the world without a protected Amazon,” Lula said at the ongoing climate conference.
He announced that he would fight deforestation in all Brazilian ecosystems, rebuild the environmental and control bodies that had been weakened under President Jair Bolsonaro, and punish environmental crimes. Lula also reiterated his plan to set up an indigenous ministry. He addressed the agricultural sector, calling it an “ally in preserving the environment”. It is necessary to reconcile forest protection with development.
It was Lula’s first official international speech since his election in late October. “I want to tell you Brazil is back,” he announced. The voted-out right-wing President Bolsonaro had largely isolated Brazil internationally.
The Brazilian leader-elect drew the most attention at the conference. Brazilians and other compatriots jostled each other at his public engagements, repeatedly erupting in cheers and lula chants. Fans and onlookers crowded in front of the hall for his speech in the evening.
Lula had previously accepted a letter from Amazon governors offering Brazil to the United Nations to host the 2025 World Climate Change Conference. “We will speak to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and ask that the COP be held in Brazil in 2025 – and in Brazil in the Amazon,” he said. “I think it’s important that the people defending the Amazon get to know the region and the concrete reality.”
Indigenous activists said women are the most common victims of agribusiness and corporate projects in the region. “Women are the most important custodians of areas like the Amazon and the land there,” said activist Helena Gualinga from Ecuador. “Protecting them and ensuring their basic rights helps protect the Amazon,” Gualinga said. State-backed oil and mining companies threatened indigenous peoples. “With Lula, we are optimistic that things can change,” said Taily Terena, an indigenous rights activist from Brazil.
In his previous term of office (2003 to 2010), the leftist Lula was not considered a Green, but has now promised to strengthen environmental and climate protection. In Brazil, he was criticized for traveling to COP27 on a businessman’s plane.
