According to Ylva Lindahl, the Foreign Policy Institute, the two presidential candidates have a great significance for the environmental and climate policy that is pursued. For Brazil, it is the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest that is the big issue.
Deregulated climate protection
Incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro has received harsh criticism for his environmental and climate policies and there is great concern about what will happen if he remains in office.
– He has pursued an environmental policy with deregulations for climate protection that existed, which has caused the devastation of the Amazon to increase significantly, says Ylva Lindahl in SVT’s Agenda.
– There are many who believe that if this is not stopped, so-called tipping points will be reached which will have very serious consequences where the Amazon will then not be able to recover. There will be large areas that are converted to savanna and then to drier steppe areas.
Why does Bolsonaro want to continue the devastation?
– It is financial interests. There is a very strong economic lobby and that has his support.
– It is extraction of timber, beef production and cultivation of soy and cotton, and this is bought on the global world market.
Lula: “Common picture”
If Lula wins, Brazil’s climate policy would take a completely different direction, says Ylva Lindahl.
– It would be according to the more common picture of what we need to do to try to fix the climate problems, she says.