The Amazon is emerging as a central issue in this year’s presidential campaign. Leaders have taken note. With elections just months away, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is better known as Lula, seems to be taking a more environmentally conscious position. The choice Brazilians make matters for global climate targets. Brazil is, by some measures, the world’s sixth-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. More important, though, is why: It is currently slashing its part of the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, at a pace not seen in over a decade. Under the current president, Jair Bolsonaro, climate action has been all but abandoned. So far, Lula has the lead over Bolsonaro, who is seeking re-election, in all the main opinion polls, though the race has been tightening.
By Manuela Andreoni. New York Times. April 15, 2022.
