Returning Lula Aims to Transform Brazil into Green Superpower

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn in as Brazilian president on 1 January, marking a new era for the country’s environmental policies. Lula’s plans for government provide a stark contrast to the previous leader Jair Bolsonaro, whose four years in office were characterised by backsliding on environmental legislation in the Amazon rainforest and weaker protections for Indigenous peoples and minorities. Lula has announced that he wants to turn Brazil, one of the world’s top food producers, into a green superpower.

Potential environmental impact:

In one of his first decisions as president, Lula restored the authority of the government’s environmental protection agency Ibama to combat illegal deforestation, powers which had been diluted by Bolsonaro. He also revoked a measure that encouraged illegal mining on protected Indigenous lands. In addition, he unfroze the billion-dollar Amazon fund financed by Norway and Germany to back sustainability projects, reinforcing his commitment to ending deforestation in the Amazon, which surged to a 15-year high under Bolsonaro. Lula’s pledge to end deforestation in the Amazon rainforest has been welcomed by world leaders and environmentalists, who hope that his actions will result in a significant reduction in deforestation, improved protection for Indigenous peoples and a reduction in carbon emissions.