For the Amazon and the communities who live there, the stakes in Sunday’s Brazilian presidential election runoff could scarcely be higher. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
Mood before the election in Roraima
Our Latin America correspondent, Tom Phillips, heads to Roraima, the country’s most northern state, to hear from voters, preachers and politicians in a region that heavily backed Flávio Bolsonaro in the first round. He finds them all hopeful that the far-right candidate will bring back the mining that his father Jair so heartily encouraged when in power in an administration that oversaw the felling of 11m acres (4.5m hectares) of rainforest.
Hopes and fears of local communities
Tom also meets Indigenous activists determined to fight back even if the Bolsonaros take power again. According to them, the battle for the Amazon will not stop.
Helen Pidd asks what it will all mean, not only for Brazil but also for the climate crisis more broadly. The atmosphere before the election is tense: on one side, voters hoping for the return of mining; on the other, Indigenous representatives ready to defend the forest.
Significance for the Amazon
The Amazon is the world’s largest tropical forest, crucial for climate balance. The second round of Brazil’s presidential election will determine the future of this region. Voters in Roraima are divided: some see economic development in mining, others want to preserve the forest.
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