President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has told participants at the UN climate summit (COP27) in Egypt that Brazil is back on the world stage.
Lula made a commitment to reforest the Amazon and find those responsible for climate change as he entered a room filled with supporters who were chanting his name.
Just two weeks after his narrow election win, Lula is making his first appearance on the international stage, meeting leaders including from the US, China and the EU at the climate conference.
“We must stop this rush to the abyss. There is no climate security for the world without a protected Amazon,” he said, saying climate change would have the highest priority for his government.
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“We will do whatever it takes to have zero deforestation and the degradation of our biomes.”
The president told the summit that Brazil would prove that it was possible to generate wealth without destroying the environment, saying it was impossible to separate tackling global warming from poverty.
He said Brazil would ensure that developing nations got the money they are owed to deal with the effects of climate change.
He also pledged to protect indigenous people, whose land has been targeted under current President Jair Bolsonaro.
On Tuesday US climate envoy John Kerry said he was confident Lula would bring a complete turnaround on Brazil’s approach to the environment.
Former environment minister in Brazil Isabella Teixeira told BBC News that “the world” is now “embracing Brazil at COP27”.
Reflecting on the challenges at home, Lula told the summit there was just one Brazil and he would govern for all.
In order to make progress on his agenda, Ms Teixeira said Lula would need to convince people and Congress members to agree, not disagree with each other.
Story was adapted from BBC.
