Brazil's New President Gives the Amazon a Fighting Chance
Climate action wasn’t the main reason Brazilians voted in a new leader, but Lula might just allow the Amazon rainforest to keep its carbon locked away
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil's president-elect, center, speaks to supporters on Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022.
Photographer: Tuane Fernandes/BloombergSign up to receive the Bloomberg Green newsletter in your inbox.
Every election is now a climate election. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s narrow win over incumbent Jair Bolsonaro to be Brazil’s newest president this past weekend is no exception.
“Brazil is ready to resume its leading role in the fight against the climate crisis, protecting all our biomes, especially the Amazon Forest,” Lula, 77, tweeted on Sunday. (Bolsonaro has not yet formally accepted the election results.) Next up: Lula will head to the COP27 climate talks organized by the United Nations next week in the Egypt. That’s a marked contrast to his predecessor, who stayed away from last year’s summit in Scotland.