Article Author:
Associated Press
Fabiano Maisonave Diane Jeantet
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A Brazilian president built a massive dam that wreaked havoc on the Amazon rainforest. rice field. He reduced the size of protected areas to accommodate land grabbers. He channeled billions of dollars into a land-hungry cattle industry.
That president was not Jair Bolsonaro, whose policies in the Brazilian Amazon are well-known and have sparked global outrage as deforestation soars. Instead, it was Luis Inacio Lula da Silva who ruled from 2003 to 2010, heading all the polls and returning to work.
When the Brazilian heads into his October elections, they have two options for him. Jair Bolsonaro, who blatantly disdains rainforest protected areas, and former president Da Silva. Da Silva hasn't received much scrutiny, but his record on the environmental front has been rocky, and he's unlikely to do much else if elected.
HIS DA SILVA ON THE ENVIRONMENT
When Da Silva formed his first cabinet in 2003, at a time when logging was rampant, Da Silva appointed Amazon rainforest activist Marina Silva to the environment. appointed minister.
As a child, she was a rubber tapper who worked closely with environmentalist Chico Mendes. She put da Silva's most ambitious environmental policies into action, creating conservation areas and stepping up efforts to combat violent deforestation.
By 2012, they had reduced forest loss by 84%.
They wanted the environment to be the jurisdiction of the whole government, Marina Silva said in her AP telephone interview.
However, Brazil's economic performance has been tied to commodities, and President da Silva began to respond to his interest in his strong agriculture towards the end of his tenure. From 2007 to his 2011, Brazil's national development bank lent billions of dollars at favorable interest rates to his JBS parent company, which would later become the world's largest meat processor.
Today, JBS owns dozens of factories in the Amazon, and several investigations, including one by Brazilian environmental regulators, indicate that the company is indirectly harvesting cattle from areas illegally logged. It shows that it was purchased on
In a statement, JBS said it, like other meatpackers, does not control its suppliers' suppliers. The company said it will fully implement its own surveillance system by 2025.
The Da Silva government also advanced a controversial hydroelectric dam in the Amazon. For Marina Silva it was the final straw. Already sidelined by the growing influence of agribusiness, she resigned in 2008.
At the same time, Da Silva shrunk the Bonfuturo National Forest (already eaten up by the invasion) by two-thirds of his size and legalized ownership of land that had been illegally occupied. Experts warned that this would encourage further encroachment into protected areas. Created ten reserves and implemented a real-time deforestation warning system.
In June, he told an Amazon-based radio station that about 40,000 people had been displaced and that a huge, dried-up section of the Xingu River had been relied upon by indigenous peoples and other communities for fish. He said he did not regret the Belo Monte Dam.
Lula said Belomonte was needed to meet the country's growing energy needs and his administration had reduced the size of the proposed reservoir by two-thirds.
He also ignored the effect of his two dams on the catfish known as Durada. Durada has the longest migratory habits of any freshwater fish and is a staple food of communities along the Madeira River. “Many catfish from Madeira can be kept in tanks,” da Silva recently told radio station Difusora.
The possibility of a da Silva regime is a cause for concern for indigenous leaders, including Juma Sipaiah. Her people live in the area affected by Belomonte, her third largest hydroelectric dam in the world.
"It was unimaginable that Belo Monte would happen, especially during Lula's time...we felt betrayed," she said by phone. She added that it was particularly disturbing to hear him say he had no regrets and would build it again.[66][67] Still, for indigenous leaders and many Brazilian environmentalists, Da Silva remains the only hope in his two-horse race. Da Silva's campaign refused to give him an interview.
"Lula's victory created an opportunity for dialogue and pressure. With Bolsonaro, there's nothing we can do," said Brazilian program director at nonprofit Amazon Watch. Ana Paula Vargas, who serves as
Bolsonaro's Environmental Legacy
Bolsonaro has consistently valued development over the environment.
Critics blame his regime for the surge in deforestation in the Amazon: protected areas have been particularly hard hit, reaching the highest rate in 15 years. The continued increase has sparked international criticism and derailed talks with the administration of US President Joe Biden about potentially funding efforts against deforestation in Brazil.
Bolsonaro vowed not to give the indigenous peoples "one centimeter of him anymore" land. He criticizes the Federal Environmental Agency as an "industry of fines" and police for destroying illegal mining equipment during raids.
"He induced people to violate environmental laws, sending the message that all is forgiven and that there is an amnesty," said a researcher at the Brazilian National Institute of Amazonia, a public institution. One Philip Fernside said: "This is going to last a long time."
Data on staffing and office closures of Brazil's major federal environmental agencies, obtained by AP through a Freedom of Information Request, are from da Silva. It marks the beginning of the weakening of environmental policies and institutions in his second term. But even environmental researchers, activists and civil servants say Bolsonaro has taken things to another level.
Bolsonaro, the son of a gold prospector, has held the top position as environmental officer at the Institute for Indigenous Affairs and the Institute that manages protected areas, and has worked with numerous former and current military personnel with limited expertise. appointed members.
"Bolsonaro has appointed all military personnel whose duties are contrary to the supposed duties of these agencies. They are there to prevent them from functioning," said over 40 years ago. said Fernside, an American who has lived and worked in the Amazon over the years.
Experts told the AP that the difference was that the sitting president defied calls from international leaders, including Biden. Protect the rainforest and the people who live in it.
Bolsonaro's environment minister is Joaquin Leyte, a former adviser to the agribusiness lobby group. His predecessor, Ricardo Salles, resigned in 2021 after federal police launched an investigation into whether he was helping export illegally logged timber. Salles denied any wrongdoing.
"The first anti-environment minister under Bolsonaro," said Marina Silva.
Brazil's president-elect and the ailing Amazon
With the October vote looming, da Silva has mixed opinions on what environmental policies his administration will develop. showing signs. He vowed to strengthen environmental agencies, rid all indigenous reserves of illegal mining activities, and rescind dozens of Bolsonaro's orders.
But in recent weeks, da Silva has been searching for allies in the powerful ruralist bloc in the Brazilian Congress. He has the support of legislators such as Neri Geller, who has long represented soybean producers.
Environmental watchdogs have expressed concern about da Silva's lack of remorse for projects such as Belo Monte.
Indigenous leader Juma Sipaia has not forgiven da Silva for deforestation and depletion of fish stocks due to megadams. But recently, the danger has become more serious. Since her April, she has received death threats for speaking out publicly against her rush of gold by illegal prospectors. She attributes it to Bolsonaro's influence.
"There aren't many choices. Between Bolsonaro and Lula, Lula. But he's not my dream Brazilian candidate," she said.
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