Six weeks before taking office, the Brazilian president-elect began a series of public appearances in Egypt.
Six weeks before his inauguration, the Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva He began a series of public appearances and meetings at the UN climate summit in Egypt on Wednesday, vowing to “stop” deforestation in the Amazon in Brazil.
When Lula arrived at a pavilion, Hundreds of people were waiting for him. many of whom cheered him and chanted slogans in Portuguese.
The appearance of Lula, who last year staged an extraordinary return to the political limelight after a period in prison for corruption, was probably one of the events that injected more energy at the COP27 conference.
During Lula’s first presidency, from 2003 to 2010, deforestation of the Brazilian rainforest was greatly reduced,and he has promised to do it again.
After meeting with various Brazilian governors, including those of jungle states like Amazonia and Para, Lula he delivered a short speech to the crowd.
“A great fight against deforestation”
“You know that we are going to undertake a great fight against deforestation,” he said to applause.
Lula has repeatedly criticized President Jair Bolsonaro, who promoted economic development in the Amazon, both in his pro-business rhetoric and in the way he managed the forests. Lula defeated Bolsonaro in the October elections and will take office on January 1.
“Brazil cannot remain isolated as in the last four years. (Brazilian officials) did not travel to other countries and no other country traveled to Brazil,” Lula said.
On Tuesday night, Lula and US envoy John Kerry met to discuss measures against climate change and deforestation, according to a statement from a State Department spokesperson to The Associated Press. Lula has scheduled meetings with ministers from various countries.
During the Bolsonaro government, elected in 2018, the environmental regulatory agencies of the Amazon they were weakened.
Bolsonaro, a former army captain, appointed administrators from the sector agroindustrial, who opposes the creation of indigenous territories and other protected areas and promotes the legalization of land theft.
The deforested area of the Brazilian Amazon reached its highest extension in 15 years between August 2020 and July 2021, according to official figures. Satellite monitoring indicates that the trend It’s even bigger this year.
OPEC of the forests
Lula did not refer to press reports that Brazil is facing a possible alliance with Congo and Indonesia,where the largest tropical forests in the world are found.
Under the motto of “OPEC of the Forests” alluding to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and the way it regulates production, the idea would be that the three countries they coordinate their negotiating positions and practices regarding forest management and the protection of biodiversity.
The proposal was presented last year during the climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, according to reports.
Despite Lula’s promises, his government faces a daunting task. Many people, especially environmentalists and officials, celebrate the promises to protect the Amazon at a climate conference like this, but the pressures on the government to boost economic development are enormous.
These come from both agriculture and mining like many inhabitants of the Amazon who feel that it is up to them to decide how it is used.
It is also a reality that Lula has an uneven track record on environmental issues. Deforestation fell sharply during his first term in government when Marina Silva was the environment minister. But in the second, Lula began to seek the support of the angro-industrial sector, and Marina Silva resigned in 2008.
She is mentioned to reoccupy the position.
Simone Karipuna, an Amazon activist present at COP27 and who attended Lua’s speech, expressed hope that the difficulties will be overcome because indigenous communities can work with the incoming government.
“We had no dialogue with the current government,” he said.
The author is an Associated Press journalist.