Brasilia (Dpa) – Brazil is at a crossroads. Today’s presidential election will decide whether right-wing head of state Jair Bolsonaro will remain in office or former left-wing president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will rise to power for another four years. The choice of direction in the largest country in Latin America also has an impact on the rest of the world.
environment and climate
The Amazon region, with its enormous biodiversity, is important in the fight against climate change. The rainforest binds huge amounts of greenhouse gases CO2 and plays an important role in the global climate. Deforestation and fires increased significantly again during Bolsonaro’s tenure. He wants to open up even more land for agriculture, mining and energy production. Critics accuse him of encouraging farmers, loggers and loggers to illegally take land. The supervisory authorities were systematically weakened.
Although Lula wasn’t exactly known as a green during his first two terms, he has now announced a new environmental and climate policy in the event of an election victory. “These elections will show whether Brazilians will vote for or against climate and environmental protection,” says Marina Marçal, coordinator of the Rio de Janeiro Institute for Climate and Society.
food and energy
In view of the rise in food and energy prices due to the war in Ukraine, Brazil is likely to gain importance as a supplier. The country is among the top exporters of soy, beef, coffee and sugar. According to calculations by the state agricultural research agency Embrapa, it produces food for 780 million people, nearly a tenth of the world’s population. According to the German business development agency GTAI, the agricultural sector is becoming even more important.
Brazil is the world’s second largest exporter of processed foods by trade volume and fifth by export value. It is also considered a pioneer in renewable energy: over 80% of electricity is generated from green energy sources such as hydroelectricity, wind energy and biomass. There is also a great demand for green hydrogen in Germany.
world trade
The free trade agreement between the EU and the South American confederation Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) is currently suspended. This would create the largest free trade zone in the world with 780 million people. The agreement is intended to reduce tariffs and thus increase trade. The contract is controversial, especially in Europe.
A main argument from opponents: the deal would give greater incentives for the expansion of agriculture and therefore for the deforestation of the rainforest. Proponents argue that this is the only way to push for binding rules and exert influence.
International security and diplomacy
Bolsonaro has largely isolated Brazil on the world stage. With its climate protection blockade, its idiosyncratic crown policy and vulgar bankruptcies, it has alienated many. Furthermore, he rarely traveled abroad, even though he showed up in Moscow shortly before the start of the Russian aggressive war against Ukraine. A few years ago, Brazil was still an emerging force internationally.
Under Lula he was considered the opinion leader in the region, giving Latin America a voice in the emerging BRICS club and in the G20. He was also a major troop supplier for UN peacekeeping missions. However, troop levels and budgets have recently been reduced more and more. Last year, for the first time since 2004, Brazil was not involved in any UN mission.
