Environmental tensions in Brazil during the election cycle
Amid a charged political moment, discussions about the Amazon are central. Critics of the Bolsonaro administration argue that environmental concerns are used to scare off investment, while supporters say policy debates reflect broader economic priorities. The conversation centers on how the forest and its resources are managed and what that means for national growth.
In 2019, a former military officer invited entrepreneurs to push the boundaries of business expansion. That year, deforestation increased, with more than 10,129 square kilometers cleared. The following year saw 10,851 square kilometers affected, and in 2021 a troubling 13,038 people disappeared in the region. These figures highlight ongoing pressures on land use and governance in the Amazon.
Worst fires in ten years
The election backdrop features a dramatic rise in fires across the Amazon. September brought the most intense burning in a decade, a pattern intensified when rains lessen and agricultural activity resumes in open spaces. The National Institute for Space Research (INPE) reported 36,850 fire alerts last month, a 120% increase from September 2021. Excluding September, the year’s total surpasses prior records, with 82,872 alerts compared with 75,090 the year before.
Fire has become a stark symbol of the Amazon crisis. Specialists note that these blazes are not purely natural events but are driven by human activity and degradation that often intersects with illegal practices. Mariana Napolitano, scientific director of WWF-Brazil, points to the role of deliberate burns and landscape change. Ecologist Carlos Durigan of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) emphasizes how close the region is to a point of no return, warning that the Amazon could lose its defining biodiversity in real time.
More droughts and fires
Experts stress that Brazil, home to the planet’s largest portion of the Amazon, has not matched its stewardship with adequate protection. Forest engineer Marlene Quintanilla notes that the Brazilian Amazon already shows about 25% conversion and 9% degradation, with the most visible impacts in the southeastern stretch from Mato Grosso to Pará. Communities downstream report rising droughts, reduced water availability, and substantial ecological shifts. Researchers from the RAISG network, which Quintanilla contributes to, warn of the danger of crossing an irreversible threshold as ecosystems transform.
Election-related tensions mirror climate debate across Brazil. Some climate skeptics, aligned with the Bolsonaro administration, question the severity of forest threats. The state of Rondônia, where roughly half of the territory remains forested, is a focal point of electoral competition. Local observers describe the broader environmental stakes as dire, with riverside forests diminishing and the prospect of water shortages looming unless restoration and protection efforts take effect soon.
Indigenous communities push for stronger representation
In response to these pressures, indigenous groups are mobilizing with unprecedented strength. For the first time in Brazil’s electoral history, 182 indigenous candidates from various Amazon states are running for office, including 84 women aiming to expand legislative engagement. Keyla de Jesús, a leader from the Pataxó community, describes a sense of urgency to build more resilient defenses against threats to land and rights.
The movement includes many nominees from the Legal Amazon, tying together concerns over deforestation, river basin health, mining and fishing activities, timber trade, and irregular drug-related activity. Data from the NGO MapBiomas indicate that illegal gold mining, or garimpo, has expanded from roughly 99,000 hectares in 2010 to about 196,000 hectares in 2021, underscoring the intertwined challenges facing the region. This convergence of environmental risk and political mobilization marks a pivotal moment in Brazil’s struggle to balance development with ecological and cultural preservation.