Thank you, Brazil, for demonstrating how the far right can be trounced while protection for the Amazon is strengthened.
asserted
protection → thank → Amazon
In a world where nature and democracy appeared to be bleeding out in tandem, voters and forest defenders in this global south powerhouse have shown it is possible to staunch the flow.
asserted
it → appear → flow
This should provide much needed inspiration and, more practically, a playbook for social and environmental movements in other countries facing elections, including the US, Spain and France.
asserted
This → provide → US
The astonishing comeback victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Sunday’s presidential runoff against his extreme right challenger Flavío Bolsonaro has brought oceans of rapturous supporters on to the streets, while also thrilling conservationists, climate activists and social justice campaigners across the world.
asserted
victory → bring → world
Coming just weeks after the Lula administration announced a record fall in Amazon and Cerrado destruction, they hope Brazil can now go on to achieve its target of zero deforestation by 2030 and continue to support a global transition away from fossil fuels.
asserted
Brazil → come → fuels
That would provide a huge boost to flagging global efforts to stabilise the climate and protect degraded ecosystems.
asserted
That → provide → ecosystems
It would also set a remarkable example of leadership by the global south.
asserted
It → set → south
Big battles lie ahead.
asserted
battles → lie → ?
In the Amazon region itself, far-right members of Bolsonaro’s party have won the governorships of seven of the nine states and a large number of municipal mayorships.
asserted
members → win → mayorships
Brazil’s congress is now dominated by agribusiness and mining interests that have set the political agenda in recent years, and will push hard to allow more extractivist industries in indigenous lands, expand road-building, privatise rivers, weaken environmental protections and possibly attempt to impeach the president.
In the regional sphere, Lula, alone among the leaders of main South American nations in not aligning with Donald Trump’s so-called Shield of the Americas, will face pressure from Washington to channel critical minerals and other natural resources to the US, rather than selling to China or Europe, or leaving them in the ground.
uncertain
Lula → dominate → ground
And, on the planetary level, Brazil faces the threat of accelerating global heating, which is pushing the Amazon ever closer to the point of no return.
asserted
which → face → return
So although Sunday’s result will hopefully provide a little breathing space for the Amazon and other crucially important biomes, the joy and hope that Brazil has gifted the world will quickly fade unless it inspires political change in other countries.
asserted
it → provide → countries
In that sense, the biggest environmental impact of Lula’s victory may be the lessons it provides for campaigners elsewhere.
uncertain
it → provide → campaigners
1 Politics matter.
asserted
Politics → matter → ?
There is no higher environmental priority than defeating the far right, which is a Trojan horse for extractivist – and often criminal – groups to capture states and erode protections for people, democracy and the environment.
asserted
groups → be → people
He has approved several destructive projects himself, but he is a people person who listens to the voice of social movements.
asserted
who → approve → movements
2 Don’t give up.
asserted
2 → give → ?
Lula was largely written off by the markets and some polls after his first-round defeat.
asserted
Lula → write → defeat
No first-round loser had ever previously come back to win the runoff.
asserted
loser → come → runoff
Lula was able to do so by securing an extra 10m votes over three weeks.
asserted
Lula → do → weeks
The energy for this came from the streets and the forests.
asserted
energy → come → streets
Social movements organised giant rallies in cities.
asserted
movements → organise → cities
In the Amazon, indigenous, riverine and quilombola groups travelled by hours – sometimes days – to reach polling stations by boats or buses.
asserted
groups → travel → boats
This was transformed during the runoff, when federal deputy André Janones launched a “Lula’s Army” WhatsApp group that used humorous memes, live streams and algorithmic outreach to seize digital territory that had long been dominated by the right.
asserted
that → transform → right
By voting day, this army had 10m “soldiers”, about 8% of the electorate.
asserted
army → have → electorate
Volunteers devoted hours posting stories and spreading messages across social media, speeding up the Lula campaign’s response time and emotional impact.
asserted
Volunteers → devote → time
Everyone was instructed not to share or respond to posts by the opposition camp.
asserted
Everyone → instruct → camp
Lula’s campaign accused Meta, which runs the Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram social media platforms, of political favouritism towards Bolsonaro in its algorithms and AI tools.
asserted
which → accuse → algorithms
Meta denied bias but acknowledged technical failures.
asserted
Meta → deny → failures
Brazil’s electoral court ordered corrective action.
asserted
court → order → action
Among the most popular chants of Lula supporters was “Hey Meta, vai tomar no cu!” (Hey Meta, take it up the arse!).
asserted
take → take → arse
Many on the left have blamed US social media platforms for spreading rightwing disinformation and fearmongering, causing recent electoral defeats in Colombia, Chile and Peru.
asserted
Many → blame → Colombia
Lula made clear that would not be allowed in Brazil: “We had to overcome foreign interference through digital platforms, which we will have to regulate.
asserted
we → make → which
We cannot have a monstrously large corporation earning millions and billions paying no taxes to this country and trying to steer our election results.”
5
asserted
corporation → have → results
Brazil’s green, yellow and blue national colours had been associated with Bolsonaro’s movement in previous elections.
asserted
colours → associate → elections
This time, Lula seized it back by posing in a national football team strip while his “army” launched a campaign called “The green and yellow is ours”.
asserted
green → seize → campaign
Before voting day, millions of people across Brazil and the world – from Indigenous leaders in the Amazon to Hollywood celebrities and European football stars – flooded social networks with images of themselves in Brazil colours making an L (for Lula) sign with their thumb and little finger extended.
asserted
thumb → flood → sign
6 Increase social spending.
asserted
6 → increase → spending
Amazon protection may have galvanised conservationists, but the far greater motivations for many Lula voters were record low unemployment, robust wage growth, a 15% increase in “bolsa familia” poverty relief payments and a promise to raise the minimum wage.
uncertain
motivations → galvanise → wage
The importance of combining social justice with climate and nature action is widely recognised by Brazilian environmental groups.
asserted
importance → combine → groups
…and 9 more, not listed.
The Aporia
