"Brazil's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has welcomed world leaders to Belém for the first climate summit in the Amazon, where conservationists hope he can be a champion for the rain forest and its people. But with a divided administration, a hostile Congress, and 20th-century developmentalist instincts, this global figurehead of the center left has a balancing act to perform in advocating protection of nature and a reduction of emissions."
"At the opening of the summit on Thursday, he made clear that his priority was social development, but he was clear that humanity had to make an energy transition and halt the lost of forests: "I am convinced that, despite our difficulties and contradictions, we need road maps to-in a fair and planned way-reverse deforestation, overcome dependence on fossil fuels, and mobilize the resources necessary for these objectives.""
"First, the good news. Forest clearance in the Brazilian Amazon has fallen by 50 percent over the full three years of Lula's third term in office. The latest annual government figures show the smallest area of clearance in 11 years. This is largely thanks to Lula's environment minister, Marina Silva, who has applied robust measures to counter land invasions, illegal logging, and wildcat mining."
Brazil hosted the first climate summit in the Amazon in Belém, with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stressing social development alongside environmental goals. The administration faces internal divisions, a hostile Congress, and developmentalist pressures that risk opening the Amazon to extractivism. Government data show forest clearance fell by 50 percent over Lula's three years, producing the smallest annual clearing area in 11 years. Environment minister Marina Silva implemented measures against land invasions, illegal logging, and wildcat mining. The Climate Observatory estimates national emissions fell 16.7 percent, driven largely by forest recovery. Lula called for fair, planned road maps to reverse deforestation and reduce fossil-fuel dependence.
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