00:00This is the Amazon Rainforest, the largest tropical rainforest in the world,
00:05covering land across eight countries and one territory.
00:09Often called the lungs of the Earth, the Amazon ideally serves as a natural carbon sink for the Earth.
00:16With its indigenous forests capable of absorbing a net average of 340 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
00:25every year,
00:26the Amazon is also considered to have the most biologically diverse ecosystems,
00:32serving as home to about 3 million species of plants and animals.
00:3860% of the Amazon Rainforest lies in Brazil.
00:42But according to Greenpeace International, the Amazon is nearing its tipping point,
00:47with around 17% of its forest cover already lost because of deforestation.
00:53Following left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's election victory,
00:58climate and environmental groups see renewed hope for the Amazon.
01:02What exactly does President Lula da Silva's re-election in Brazil mean for the Amazon?
01:10Incumbent President Lula has secured his fourth non-consecutive term
01:14as he gained 51.79% share of the votes in the second round of elections in Brazil.
01:21With this, he defeated right-wing candidate and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro,
01:27son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
01:30Climate and environmental groups welcomed Lula da Silva's win.
01:34Greenpeace Brazil Executive Director Carolina Pascuali said
01:37da Silva's re-election signals continued commitment to protecting the Amazon and fighting climate change.
01:48Da Silva pursued anti-deforestation policies during its first two terms as president from 2003 to 2010.
01:56In 2004, Brazilian government under da Silva launched the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation
02:04in the Legal Amazon, which laid out plans to combat land-grabbing, monitor and prevent deforestation in the Amazon,
02:12and promote sustainable forest management.
02:14However, during the term of Jair Bolsonaro from 2019 to 2022, this plan was shelved.
02:23According to data from the Climate Observatory under Jair Bolsonaro's term,
02:27deforestation in the Amazon surged by 60%, clearing more than 45,000 square kilometers of forest cover.
02:37Deforestation also reached a 15-year high record in 2021.
02:43When Silva returned to the presidency in 2023, he revived Brazil's Amazon Action Plan,
02:50pledging to achieve net-zero deforestation by 2030.
02:56In October 2026, Brazil reported its lowest annual Amazon deforestation rate since 1988,
03:03with 3,335 square kilometers lost from August 2025 to July 2026.
03:12In the 2026 elections, da Silva faced Jair Bolsonaro's son and convent senator Flavio Bolsonaro.
03:19Da Silva and Bolsonaro's head-to-head rivalry in the elections placed their environmental stances in comparison.
03:27In an August media interview, Bolsonaro echoed his father's approach to addressing environmental issues.
03:37Meanwhile, Marshall Astrini, executive director of the Climate Observatory and network of the environmental groups,
03:43warned that Brazil could shift toward climate denial, similar to the United States.
03:52As President Lula da Silva begins his term in 2027, his environmental commitments will put to the test,
03:59especially with the composition of his Congress, which according to Greenpeace Brazil,
04:04includes a contingent of deniers and anti-environmentalists.
04:12And while climate and environmental groups welcomed the Silva's re-election,
04:16they vowed to keep its administration accountable for its policies and action on the Amazon and the environment.
04:23I'm JP Soriad, GMA News.
04:40I'm JP Soriad, GMA News.
04:41I'm JP Soriad.
04:41I'm JP Soriad.
04:41I'm JP Soriad.
