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Brazil's Amazon Deforestation Drops Sharply Ahead of Election
Confirmed
In Short: The upcoming presidential runoff election in Brazil could significantly impact the future of the Amazon rainforest.
The Amazon rainforest, the world's largest, plays a crucial role in the global fight against climate change. Approximately 60% of the Amazon is located in Brazil, making it a critical area for environmental protection and climate stability. The reduction in deforestation is attributed to Lula's administration, which has prioritized Amazon protection since taking office in 2023.
Data from the BBC also shows that deforestation in Brazil's Cerrado savanna region decreased by 23.8% in the same period. This decline is part of a broader trend that began in 2022, following a period of increased deforestation under former President Jair Bolsonaro.
President Lula has set an ambitious goal of achieving zero illegal deforestation by 2030, as stated in a post on X. This target reflects the administration's commitment to environmental protection and aligns with the broader climate agenda. Lula's pledge to end illegal deforestation by 2030 was made after deforestation rates soared to a 15-year high under Bolsonaro's tenure.
The upcoming presidential runoff election in Brazil could significantly impact the future of the Amazon rainforest. Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, is running against Lula. If Flávio Bolsonaro wins, he has pledged to strengthen environmental oversight in the Amazon, focus enforcement on organized crime, and end illegal deforestation by 2029. However, Flávio has also praised his father's stance on environmental issues, which critics argue could lead to a rollback of current deforestation regulations.
According to Carbon Brief analysis, an area of Amazon forest roughly the size of New Jersey has remained standing due to Lula's leadership. The analysis suggests that at least 20,000 square kilometers of deforestation has been avoided since Lula took office. Claudio Angelo, international policy coordinator at Brazil’s Climate Observatory, told Carbon Brief that if Bolsonaro had won in 2022, deforestation rates would likely have been much higher than during his first term.
The current administration has reduced deforestation in the Amazon by almost 50 percent, according to Motherjones. However, despite these efforts, five trees are still felled every second in the Amazon, where deforestation slowed by 23.5%, as reported by Turkiyetoday. Marcos Rosa, technical coordinator at MapBiomas, attributed the drop in deforestation to increased enforcement actions and sanctions.
The runoff election is crucial not only for Brazil but also for the global climate crisis. Helen Pidd from The Guardian highlights the high stakes for the Amazon and the communities living there. The election outcome could determine the future of Brazil's biomes, traditional peoples, and the stability of the global climate.
What this adds
The election runoff is set to take place on Sunday, with significant implications for environmental policies and the Amazon rainforest.
What's confirmed
- "Our goal is to achieve zero illegal deforestation by 2030," he said in a post on X on Friday.
What's still developing
- Brazil’s president has considerable executive power over environmental outcomes.
- The important question is which parts of Brazil’s climate policy a president can change, which require congressional support, and where trade, investment and private-sector interests constrain political choices.
- FILE - A street vendor sells campaign flags of presidential candidates Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro and current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for reelection, in Brasilia, Brazil, Sept. 29, 2026.
- Tourist boats sit idle on sandbanks in the Arapiuns River near the Nova Sociedade community, near Santarem, Para state, Brazil, Thursday, Sept.
- FILE - A fuel barge is visible on the Negro River, as smoke from wildfires fills the air in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil, Sept.
- He has also praised his father, who is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for coup plotting, for opposing what he calls a “radical environmental agenda”.
- When Jair Bolsonaro was president of Brazil between 2019 and 2022, he championed the nation’s powerful agribusiness sector and oversaw an unprecedented increase in Amazon deforestation.
- I n what is seen as good news for Brazil's leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell to its lowest level last year since 2019, according to a report on Wednesday.
- Even before the election, the National Congress had been pushing hard to weaken environmental protections.
- Brazil's right-wing senator and Liberal Party presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro acknowledges supporters during a rally in Goiania, Goias state, Brazil.