Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Presidential Win in Brazil Hailed as Victory for Amazon Rainforest

On October 30, 2022, environmental activists and conservationists worldwide were thrilled to learn that Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – most commonly known as “Lula” – was elected President of Brazil, just barely defeating controversial right-wing incumbent Jai Bolsonaro. It was an extremely close race, with Lula winning by only 1.8 percent of the vote. Lula had previously served as President of the South American country from 2003 to 2010, and during that time, deforestation had plummeted. In his most recent campaign, he’d pledged to protect the rainforest.

The news of Lula’s win comes at a precarious time for the Amazon when approximately 26 percent of it is either degraded or lost entirely. Without intervention, the situation will continue to exacerbate to the point of the rainforest becoming a savannah. During Bolsonaro’s time in office, environmental crimes were not only swept under the rug but were also, it seems, encouraged. By 2020, towards the COVID-19 pandemic, deforestation had risen by 55 percent. Unfortunately, at the time, the pandemic made it more difficult to combat Bolsonaro’s plans for development in previously-protected areas. This was, he claimed, the only way to get people in the region out of poverty. In the four years since Bolsonaro took office, almost 75 percent more of the Amazon has been cleared than in years past.

Source: FRANCE 24 English/YouTube

According to the University of Oxford’s Erika Berenguer, Lula’s win here “is a victory not only for the region, but for humanity and life itself.” During his campaign, he specified that he would reverse the deforestation of his predecessor, which he hopes will also lead to an economic boom. In addition, Lula has vowed to revive the Amazon Fund, a project supporting rainforest protection that was shelved during Bolsonaro’s time in office. A recent study concluded that, under Lula’s leadership, 28,957 square miles of the Amazon rainforest could be saved by 2030.

However, Lula’s time in office will be far from easy, and he will need to deal with the prevalence and power of organized crime in the region, among numerous environmental issues in Brazil and the Amazon. We need to protect the Amazon in particular, as it releases billions of tons of water and stores billions of tons of carbon every year. While Lula’s election won’t have immediate changes, as long he has enough people in his corner to make the necessary changes to protect and restore the Amazon, there is hope.

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• Petition: Stop Brazil from Allowing More Amazon Rainforest Destruction

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