Fires and Floods Turn Climate Into a Major Worry for Brazilians

  • 32% rank environment as one of Brazil’s biggest problems: poll
  • Lula preparing to host COP30 as disasters hammer his nation

A flooded street following heavy rains in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, in May.

Photographer: Carlos Macedo/Bloomberg
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Record-breaking floods, droughts and fires have Brazilians more worried about the environment than ever, turning it into a potent political issue as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva prepares to host a major global climate conference next year.

Nearly a third of Brazilians now rank environmental destruction and global warming as one of the biggest problems facing the country, a share that puts it ahead of the economy and behind only corruption and crime, according to LatAm Pulse, a survey conducted by AtlasIntel for Bloomberg News and published Thursday. The poll asked respondents to identify their top three concerns.