Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has raised hopes of protecting the Amazon rainforest from further destruction after deforestation rates in Brazil surged by 60 per cent under his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.
In his first speech to Congress on 1 January, Lula reiterated his goal of “zero deforestation” adding that Brazil did not “need to deforest” the world’s most important ecosystem to support the country’s agricultural sector and vowed to undo the harm caused by his predecessor as the latter had left “terrible ruins” among Brazil’s institutions and destroyed environmental protections.
“The world expects Brazil to once again become a leader in tackling the climate crisis and an example of a socially and environmentally responsible country.
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“There is no need to cut down a single tree. Just replant the 30 million hectares of land that have been degraded. This way we will be able to live without cutting wood, without burning, and without the need to invade our ecosystems,” Lula said.
This is coming as parts of the Amazon became a source of carbon rather than a carbon sink under Bolsonaro, who was hostile towards indigenous landowners and actively promoted industry,
Research showed the vast majority of carbon was coming from areas of the Amazon that were not indigenous territories or protected lands, with experts warning that illegal activities and lack of rule of law were also putting protected lands at risk.
In a bid to ramp up protection for indigenous territories, Lula has named two prominent Amazon defenders as ministers in his new government, the most prominent one being Marina Silva, who takes up the reins as environment and climate minister, an office she held from 2003 to 2008, when she was widely credited with a dramatic drop in deforestation.
Story was adapted from RFI.
