John Kerry points to increased deforestation during Bolsonaro administration and shows interest in working with president-elect
Photo: Roxana Bravo / World Bank
“We will reach out to the Lula government as soon as the time is right”. The US special envoy for climate, John Kerry, in a press conference in Washington, on Wednesday (02), showed interest in working with Lula. He also stated the need to continue the old plans to preserve the Brazilian politician’s former term of office, from 2003 to 2010.
“The president-elect, Lula, is committed, he has demonstrated that commitment previously with a programme that he had in place,” the politician claimed. “But now I hope that we can refine that programme and move even faster with the reforms that are needed to try and save the Amazon.
During the elections, the issue of deforestation was much discussed in the presidential debates, especially between Lula and Bolsonaro. According to data from the Prodes project, of the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), during the Lula government, although the first years of the mandate registered a high rate of deforestation, the number fell significantly in consecutive years, approximately 67%, reaching the lowest historical levels between 2006 and 2015. In the Bolsonaro Government, on the other hand, there was a record of the increase of the deforested area by 73% in the first 3 years of government.
“Under the Bolsonaro Government, regrettably, the level of deforestation has increased in the Amazon, and is now at dangerously high rates,” John Kerry points out.
In 2021, during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26), Brazil was criticized for the lack of projects and initiatives to combat the greenhouse effect and the increase in deforestation recorded under the current government. Moreover, in the last year, the relationship between the US and the Bolsonaro government was strained when Joe Biden became president. Since then, several statements from the president, his vice president, Kamala Harris, and his supporters show concern about the preservation of the Amazon and the lack of initiative and changes from the current government in face of the numbers registered.
It is important to highlight that in just a few days, the COP 27 will take place in Egypt. This year, the event will be attended by the president-elect, Lula, who has as one of his main government projects the climate and environmental preservation agenda. The conference will be crucial to outline the next steps on the issue of the Amazon and align it with the rest of the countries that will be present.
During the press conference, the US envoy also recalled the global importance of the Amazon and the need for cooperation among all countries for its preservation. “And so, we and the rest of the world will have to recognise that if we want to value this great forest, we have to help them (the Brazilians) preserve it,” said Kerry.