– I am here to say that Brazil is ready to resume efforts to build a healthier planet, says incoming president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Egypt on Wednesday. This is his first trip abroad since he was elected president of Brazil and his second speech at the climate summit. In the coming days, Lula will rebuild Brazil’s credibility as a partner in the global effort against climate change. According to Reuters sources, Brazil is in a stronger position this year to negotiate at the climate summit because of Lula’s election. Other countries know that Brazil, when Lula takes over in the new year, is a government that has promised to take the climate issue seriously, unlike President Jair Bolsonaro. – We have ignored the planet’s warnings, says Lula on Wednesday afternoon. Photo: AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP Jubilation and applause Lula arrived in the resort town early on Tuesday and has tweeted that he met US climate envoy John Kerry and China’s climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua. He was received with cheers and hugs when he spoke for the first time in Egypt on Wednesday morning. At the summit, he will have more climate talks in one day than outgoing President Bolsonaro had in four years, according to Lula himself. One of Lula’s main election promises has been to stop deforestation in what is considered the world’s most important rainforest. Under Bolsonaro, deforestation has accelerated, which is very bad news for the world’s fight against climate change. He has promised to create a comprehensive plan to improve climate and environmental laws and create green jobs. He is also working to secure an alliance between the three largest rainforest nations of Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Representatives from all over the world welcomed Lula with cheers, applause and hugs. Photo: JOSEPH EID / AFP – Lula’s victory was a victory for the world Helena Gualinga from the Amazon in Ecuador is an indigenous activist and participant at COP27. She says she has greater hope for the future now that Lula will take over the presidency in Brazil. – I believe that Lula’s victory is a victory for the world. I think with Bolsonaro, Brazil was heading in a dangerous direction for the Amazon. Lula has committed to protecting the Amazon. Indigenous activist Helena Gualinga. Photo: Milana Knezevic / news – I don’t want to dare to say how it will look, but I am more hopeful than if Bolsonaro were in power. But he must be held accountable and we must see if he follows through on his promises, says Gualinga. Wants a summit in the Amazon Lula expressed earlier today that he wants the UN climate summit to be held in the Amazon in three years’ time. – We will talk to the UN Secretary-General and ask if the climate summit in 2025 can be held in Brazil, and in Brazil it must be in the Amazon, said Lula at the climate summit in Egypt on Wednesday. He also stated that he will form a separate ministry for the country’s indigenous population. Many have high expectations for the incoming president in Brazil. Photo: JOSEPH EID / AFP Strong upswing under Bolsonaro When Lula was president the last time, from 2003 to 2011, the degree of deforestation decreased sharply. In 2002, the year before Lula took office, 21,651 km² of rainforest disappeared. In 2010, his last year as president, the figure was down to 7,000 km², figures from INPE show. The decline continued under his party colleague and successor, Dilma Rousseff. At its lowest, in 2012, 4,571 km² were lost. Since then, deforestation has increased year by year. In 2021, under President Jair Bolsonaro, around 13,000 km² disappeared. Bolsonaro refused to host the planned 2019 climate summit in Brazil. On October 30, Bolsonaro lost the presidential race.
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Lula was received like a rock star – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
