As the US counts down the days until the midterms it was Brazil’s turn to head to the voting booths on the weekend. Yesterday’s presidential election saw former metal worker Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, head-off against the incumbent and former army captain Bolsonaro, with Lula securing a narrow victory after securing 50.9% of the vote.
As home to the world’s largest tropical rainforest, the environmental and conservation policies in Brazil are arguably some of the most important of any country — making Brazil's election globally significant. Under Bolsonaro the country experienced a surge in deforestation as the president reduced enforcement measures, diminished spending for science and environmental agencies and fired environmental experts. Data from the INPE suggests the rate of deforestation jumped some 72% in his first 3 years in office.
Canopy cover
With as much as 17% of the forest already lost, and experts stating 20-25% as a crucial tipping point for the ability to control global warming, Lula — a former two-term president — ran on a promise to protect the Amazon, a key policy during his previous time in office. That made him this year's “greenest” candidate according to Observatório do Clima, a Brazilian environmental coalition.
