58 - Brazil's Election and the Amazon's Future


58 - Brazil's Election and the Amazon's Future


The October presidential election in Brazil may well determine the fate of the Amazon's forests, “the lungs of the earth.” Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the former president who protected the Amazon, faces off against the current president, Jair Bolsonaro, whose right-wing government favors corporate interests that have dramatically increased deforestation and fires. Lula is favored to win, but should Bolsonaro win or stage a coup, the Amazon will be at a tipping point.