"After three consecutive years of climate negotiations hosted by authoritarian regimes, the return of the COP summit to a democracy could not come at a more decisive moment. When world leaders gather in Belem for COP30 this week, they will enter a country that has defied both authoritarianism and environmental collapse, a reminder that democracy delivers where despotism destroys."
"Just a few years ago, Brazil was at the brink. Under far-right populist Jair Bolsonaro, the Amazon burned at record pace while democratic institutions buckled under relentless attacks. Bolsonaro gutted environmental agencies, defunded enforcement programs and mocked climate science. By 2021, deforestation in the Amazon had surged to the highest annual level in a decade, and the world feared the rainforest might cross an irreversible tipping point. Then, Brazilians voted for a different future."
"President Lula da Silva returned to office, on a promise to restore both the environment and democracy. Within a year, deforestation in the Amazon dropped sharply as environmental programs and control regulations were restored."
COP30 meets in Belém, Brazil, a democracy presented as having resisted both authoritarianism and environmental collapse. Brazil experienced severe Amazon fires and institutional weakening under Jair Bolsonaro, including gutted environmental agencies, defunded enforcement programs, and mocked climate science. By 2021 deforestation in the Amazon reached a decade high and raised fears of an irreversible tipping point. Voters then returned Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to office with promises to restore the environment and democracy. Within a year environmental programs and control regulations were restored and Amazon deforestation dropped sharply. Brazil's Supreme Federal Court later convicted Bolsonaro for plotting to cling to power.
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