The planet's future depends on the Amazon; that's why the presidential elections in Brazil are relevant for you too.
When reporters recently asked the president if he would respect the result of today's election, he just turned his back and walked away. If he lost, the likely answer to the question would have been a clear "no" since President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil has often expressed threats against the country's electoral system.
This week, he attacked the electoral court, which oversees voting. Bolsonaro called its head, supreme court justice Alexandre de Moraes, a "scoundrel" and demanded his impeachment. Earlier this week, his party claimed that the electronic voting system is vulnerable to tampering.
He is right in fearing losing the election but not correct in blaming the voting system. You are not alone if you believe you have heard this all before; Bolsonaro is often called the Trump of Brazil.
While I was writing this post, almost all votes of Brazil's presidential election (97 percent) were counted; no candidate was able to hit the 50% mark needed to win in the first round. This means a run-off election will occur on 30 October between former President Luiz Inácio 'Lula' da Silva and incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro. Lula won 47.9% of the votes, and Bolsonaro got 43.7 percent. The president fared better than the 36 or 37 percent the latest polls had predicted.
A "stolen election"
In June, Bolsonaro told his millions of supporters that they would "go to war" if he lost. Some fear a Brazilian version of the January 6th attack against democracy may be staged because of a "stolen election." One that will perhaps be more professionally executed by the retired military officer; unlike the former American president, his military career was never hindered by bone spurs.
Speaking of which: Trump backed Bolsonaro this weekend, saying that "He's done an absolutely incredible job." He called Bolsonaro "one of the great presidents of any country in the world." And since I don't recall ever agreeing with Trump on anything, let's see if the president of Brazil indeed did an absolutely incredible job in protecting the lungs of our planet, the Amazon.
This question is relevant since the fate of the Amazon is at stake in Brazil's presidential election. And thus, your future will likely be influenced by what happens in Brazil; a Lula-led government will likely promote the protection of the Amazon and conserve enormous amounts of biodiversity and carbon.
On Bolsonaro's watch, Amazon deforestation has soared to record levels, and Brazil has become an international outcast. The Brazilian president has a track record of slashing environmental protections. During his presidency, CO2 emissions doubled compared with the average over the previous decade. Another presidential term for him will have global consequences because researchers have found that the Amazon is approaching a tipping point, after which the forest will be lost.
Bolsonaro is not the only one fearing he may lose the election; all those destroying the Amazon rainforest realize this may be the final opportunity to grab more land. Last month's data, until 26 September, show that fires soared to the highest levels in a decade, more than twice the number of September 2021.
Astonishingly, the lack of protection of the Amazon has transformed the rainforest from a carbon sink to a source of carbon emissions. The sad result is that the Amazon is now contributing to heating our planet.
So today's election didn't end with a clear victory of more than 50 percent of the votes for one of the candidates. This was never a likely outcome; the last time this happened was 24 years ago. We will now have to wait another four weeks. On 30 October, we will learn who will be the next president of Brazil and if the loser will respect the election outcome.
Whoever wins, it's clear that this vote will impact the Amazon rainforest and, therefore, the planet's future. And thus, it will be relevant for your future too.
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Notes:
https://globalnews.ca/news/9168866/brazil-election-bolsonaro-lula-violence/
Well said Alex. I have been watching the results on CNN and watching the people of Brazil respond. I think the economy will play into their votes also and of course the Amazon which is critical to all of us.
I hope more Americans take to heart what is at stake here. Our planet is losing its lungs. I have asthma and I know what it feels like when your lungs start to shut down. It is frightening.
Thank you for always bringing the conversation back to this wonderful planet and what we must do to sustain it.
Fingers crossed that the ideology of greed mixed with threats of insurrection will not win.