Monday, October 30, 2023

Lula’s Struggle to Control Deforestation in Brazil

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New data has revealed that deforestation in Brazil continues to rise, with a 14% increase in March compared to the same month last year. This increase highlights the challenges faced by left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as he attempts to halt deforestation that surged under his predecessor. Lula had promised to crack down on deforestation and protect Indigenous people from the illegal enterprises driving its rise. However, preliminary data shows that the government has yet to deliver on that promise.

During the tenure of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, experts warned that surging deforestation was endangering efforts to address the climate crisis and Indigenous communities who found themselves targeted by powerful business interests pushing into the rainforest, often with the implicit support of Bolsonaro’s right-wing government. Bolsonaro viewed deforestation as a form of economic development and provided unofficial support for many of the illegal business activities that contribute to deforestation.

Satellite images from the INPE national space investigations show that 356sq kilometres (137sq miles) were cleared in the month of March. From January through March, deforestation dropped by about 11% compared with the prior year. The mixed results underscored the challenges that remain after several years of lax enforcement and unofficial support for many of the illegal business activities that contribute to deforestation.

“This rise in numbers reveals that the Amazon still suffers from a huge lack of governance and that the new government needs to act urgently to rebuild its capacity for repression to environmental crime, which had been totally destroyed by the last government,” said Marcio Astrini, head of local environmental group Climate Observatory.

“The figures show there is a complex scenario in the face of a weakening of control in the region and the discourse of the last few years that favoured illegality,” said Mariana Napolitano, the conservation manager for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Brazil. “Even though the current government has shown its intention to seriously fight deforestation, it will take time to change the scenario.”

Lula’s promise to crack down on deforestation and protect Indigenous people from illegal enterprises driving its rise is a step in the right direction. However, it is clear that more needs to be done to rebuild governance and strengthen enforcement against environmental crime. The Amazon rainforest is a vital part of the global ecosystem, and its protection is essential in the fight against climate change. The Brazilian government must take urgent action to halt deforestation and protect Indigenous communities and the environment.

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