Brazil’s voters have handed environmentalists the result they were hoping for. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva secured another term as president, and scientists say that means four more years of aggressive efforts to slow destruction of the Amazon, about 60% of which lies in Brazil. Under Lula, forest loss has dropped sharply as his government restored enforcement, set a goal of ending illegal deforestation by 2030, and pledged to replant millions of acres of rainforest, the New York Times reports.
Climate experts had warned that a victory by challenger Flávio Bolsonaro, who questions human-driven climate change and backs expanding agriculture and mining in the region, could send deforestation surging. Indigenous leaders who campaigned against him also welcomed Lula’s win. “Protecting these ecosystems matters far beyond Brazil’s borders and is essential to halting biodiversity loss worldwide,” said Camila Jardim of Greenpeace Brazil, per Euronews. Still, a more right-leaning Congress taking office next year could obstruct Lula’s environmental agenda, limiting his presidency to acting as a check.