Brazil records record drop in Amazon deforestation ahead of election
Satellite data shows Amazon deforestation fell 41.8% to a six‑year low before the 25 October run‑off.
Key facts
- Amazon deforestation fell 41.8% up to July 2026, the largest drop since records began in 1988.
- Cerrado deforestation fell 23.8% in the same period.
- President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pledged zero illegal deforestation by 2030.
- The 25 October election run‑off will be between Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro.
- Brazil's Environment Minister Joao Paulo Capobianco called the decline "absolutely stratospheric".
Satellite data shows Amazon deforestation fell 41.8% up to July 2026, the largest drop since records began in 1988. The rate is the lowest in six years. The decline follows policy changes after Lula took office in 2023.
The Cerrado savanna region also saw a 23.8% reduction in deforestation during the same period. The reduction follows Lula's tightening of environmental monitoring and penalties for illegal logging.
President Lula pledged to end deforestation by 2030, a goal he announced on X in 2023. He tightened environmental monitoring and penalties for illegal logging, reversing policies from the previous administration. Bolsonaro's presidency saw a surge in deforestation.
The 25 October run‑off will pit Lula against Flavio Bolsonaro, the president's son. Polls suggest a neck‑and‑neck race. Flavio has pledged to fight organized crime in the Amazon, and his stance on deforestation is expected to align with his father's policies.
Environment Minister Joao Paulo Capobianco described the decline as "absolutely stratospheric." Observatorio do Clima's executive secretary Marcio Astrini called it a "historic achievement." Both officials attribute the drop to increased political will.
Context
Lula assumed office in 2023 and pledged to end Amazon deforestation by 2030. Bolsonaro's presidency saw a surge in deforestation. The record decline follows Lula's reversal of Bolsonaro's policies.
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