 'It was like having to silence a scream inside you every day as you watched the object of your life, your career and passion destroyed. 'Lula's election is a victory not only for the region but for humanity and life itself.' As right-wing Bolsonaro publicly supported the development of the rainforest, weakened environmental legislation, and defunded and depleted important ecological organisations of their budget and expertise, deforestation rose to a 15-year high. Since he entered power in 2019, the amount of Amazon being cleared increased by over 75 per cent, and the 13,000 hectares destroyed in 2021 were the most since 2008. It was devastating to see first-hand. A supporter of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva celebrates after her candidate won the presidential runoff election ( AFP via Getty Images) Twice, the scale of the cancer Bolsonaro's policy inflicted on the 'lungs of the world' led me to visit the Amazon to witness the destruction of his rule. While there, I spoke with indig){kind=link}
In a razor-thin win for new leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, voters kicked out the “Trump of the Tropics” after just one term following a bitterly fought battle between the left and the right
Defenders of the Amazon rainforest were overcome with relief after Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro was turfed out of office.
In a razor-thin win for new leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, voters kicked out the “Trump of the Tropics” after just one term following a bitterly fought battle between the left and the right.
In a resounding victory for climate activists, the result was hailed as a crucial tipping point by environmentalists who have been critical of Bolsonaro’s destruction of the Amazon.
“During the past four years, the Amazon has been threatened, attacked and destroyed as the government openly promoted environmental crimes,” says Erika Berenguer at the University of Oxford.