This story was originally published in the Guardian, and reproduced here with the Climate Desk collaboration. What a difference one year can make in the Brazilian Amazon. I wrote at the beginning of 2023 about the green shoots and feelings of optimism inspired by the new President, Luiz inacio Lula da So, who promised to
[[{“value”:”This article, which was first published by the Guardian, is being reprinted these as a part of the Climate Desk partnership.
How much of a difference one year makes in the Amazon of Brazil. The new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who pledged to strengthen Maori rights and strive for zero deforestation, inspired me to write about the green shoots of the rainy season and feelings of hope at the beginning of 2023. After twelve months, both the vegetation and social optimism are dwindling.
The worst drought in recorded history has suddenly ended, but compared to previous years, this year’s rains are weak and tardy. For January, the Xingu River is significantly lower. Additionally, there is a weaker pulse of forest growth than there was in January because the fresh vegetation does not extend as far into the road. Even worse is the situation in the nearby cattle pasture. The cows are malnourished and the hillsides are brownish because the capim, or forage grasses, were burned so heavily that they have not recovered. Many of the malnourished, muscular animals have fled their fields and are now wandering around our neighborhood in search of food. At this ranch and numerous others, according to locals, more than a dozen cows have perished from starvation.
The lack of leafcutter ants is less apparent but in some ways more concerning. These large-mandibled insects are typically found outside, slicing and carrying vegetation in columns to build fungus gardens in their nests, which are dispersed over a distance of dozens of meters in towers and mounds resembling Gaudi. According to entomologists, these ants are the prominent herbivores in the South American tropics and have the second-most complex societies on Earth after humans. They consume about one-sixth of the forest’s leaves. This improves soil quality and encourages the growth of new plants. These ants have never in vain been referred to as ecosystem engineers.
In the Amazon, near to 1 million trees are also being cut down or burned on a daily basis.
On my regular walk with the dogs, I pass three large nests of leafcutters every day. When the flying females and clouds of males took off for their wedding flights during the annual revoada only over a year ago, I got too close. The insect population is vulnerable at this time, and the soldier ants were ferociously guarding themselves. I was pushed ahead while my foot was covered in blood and my body was in excruciating pain.
I was shocked to learn that all four nests appear to be dead because, despite this, I have never stopped admiring these little, strong creatures. There is no freshly dug soil at the entrances, the mounds appear deflated, and never a solitary leafcutter ant can be seen. This is strange because a good colony can have 3.5 million members who have not stopped working before. According to entomologists, they might have moved or been wiped out by the protracted clean season. It serves as a sobering reminder that there are numerous ways in which forest resilience is eroding and that the effects of the drought are still unimaginable.
Global warming and deforestation brought on by humans are drying up the forest, and not only over the past year. The dry season in the Amazon is becoming hotter, drier, and more, according to scientists. It lasted four months fifty years before. It is then five. Trees and different species that are being pushed past their thresholds for survival are dying as a result of this. An ecosystem-wide collapse that would transform the Amazon into a savanna is getting closer and closer.
Lula is aware of this. He expressed his shock at the region’s rivers ‘ lowest level in more than 120 years during a speech at Cop28 in Dubai in November of last year. He urged other nations to exert more effort because he claimed that this was a worldwide climate issue. ” If other nations do not do their part, the Amazon could reach its point of no return even if we do n’t cut down any more trees.”
However, the efforts of his personal government to safeguard the forest and its inhabitants have been uneven. A first-year report card for Lula would indicate improvement over the lower bar set by Jair Bolsonaro’s earlier far-right administration, but it would also reveal broken promises, political slackness, and unsettling signs of regression.
Second, the crucially significant good news. Over the past year, deforestation in the Amazon has decreased by about 50 %. In the 12 months leading up to July 31, the clearance rate was less than 10, 000 square kilometers for the first time since 2018. The loss of tree cover in Maori territories decreased by 73 percent, which is even more encouraging.
The bad news is that, despite this slowdown, close to 1 million trees in the Amazon are also being felled or burned on a daily basis. The drought claimed the lives of many more people, and this will only make the forest’s degradation worse. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that the Amazon finished 2023 in worse shape than when it began, despite the fact that this has unfortunately been the case for every year for the past 50 years.
There are additional reasons to be worried. The expansion of soy plantations and cattle ranching caused the Cerrado savanna, the Amazon’s southwestern neighbor, to suffer the greatest destruction since 2016. This is a reiteration of the public relations ruse used by earlier Lula administrations, which reduced deforestation in the Amazon’s center stage while approving the destruction of Cerrado, an essential but lesser-known volcano.
For Aboriginal rights, the tale is comparable. The government of Lula recognized six new territories, which several studies have shown to be the most cost-effective method of conserving forest and sequestering carbon, demonstrating that he was a real pioneer in establishing his own ministry for this.
A angry congress, however, has outwitted him by passing a new law, known as Marco Temporal, that restricts the approval of Maori land.
There is no question that Lula is moving away from science and Aboriginal rights more and more.
This is not the only opposition to the president’s power. A coup attempt by Bolsonaro supporters, including members of the police, was thwarted by Lula a year earlier. The army’s presence on the fence was scarcely a sign of support. The government has been working to drive thousands of unlawful gold miners out of Yanomami territory ever since, but the military has refused to help. The Lula administration has consequently lost control over those lands and has been unable to stop a humanitarian catastrophe. 308 Yanomami died from preventable diseases between January and November, which is not much different from the death toll during Bolsonaro’s final year in office despite the government spending$ 200 million and mobilizing 2, 000 healthcare workers to the area.
A paved highway cutting through the center of the eastern Amazon is, in the meantime, posing a fresh and even greater threat. Because roads have always been the precursors to illegitimate logging, mining, land clearing, and invasions of Maori lands, the planned BR- 319 upgrade from Manaus to Porto Velho would destroy one of the last significant, largely untouched areas of rainforest. On the basis of professional medical advice, the project has been opposed for several years. However, lawmakers passed a bill last month to soften economic licensing requirements for the road, which they have deemed to be “priority infrastructure needed for regional security,” with the support of the construction and agricultural industry lobbies. By establishing a BR- 319 working group and ignoring the environment ministry in the process, Lula has successfully given the go-ahead.
Renan Filho, the project’s transport minister, claims that it will create the “most green and greenest highway on the planet” in a striking instance of Orwellian newspeak. Along with additional commitments from Britain, Germany, and the US to lessen deforestation and advance sustainability, he is also looking for project funding from the$ 1.2 billion Amazon fund, which was established by Norway.
These objectives are blatantly contradicted by the BR-319. For a request mocks both the credibility of the Brazilian government and the international fund. It is a bad joke, not the least of which is that the fresh road will make it easier to explore for oil and gas deeply within the forest in addition to the existing exploration near the Amazon River’s mouth. The exact blind race to profit from petroleum is taking place in the US, the UK, Canada, Russia, Norway, and various countries that produce gasoline.
Lula does n’t seem to be able to make up his mind about what kind of leader he wants. He discusses the urgent need for climate action and makes zero deforestation promises to a worldwide audience. But to his home electorate, he continues to be a traditional concrete and oil state builder. There is no doubt that he is drifting—or being pushed—ever farther away from science and Aboriginal rights and ever closer to business and bourgeois extractivism compared to last year. It is simple to comprehend why given Lula’s precarious social stance and intellectual tendencies. However, it feels more like a surrender rather than an agreement in light of recent droughts and extremely dangerous weather events.
The climate crisis is having a significant impact in the Amazon. Even though the slowdown in deforestation has been appreciated, it is insufficient, and even this is threatened by fresh roads and oil projects. It wo n’t just be the trees, the cows, and the ants that start to disappear if the political trend persists.”}]] As part of the Climate Desk collaboration, this article, which was first published by the Guardian, is reproduced below. What a difference the Brazilian Amazon makes each year. I wrote about the rainy season’s natural shoots and feelings of hope at the beginning of 2023, inspired by the new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who pledged to do so.
This story was originally published in the Guardian, and reproduced here with the Climate Desk collaboration. What a difference one year can make in the Brazilian Amazon. I wrote at the beginning of 2023 about the green shoots and feelings of optimism inspired by the new President, Luiz inacio Lula da So, who promised to
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at a ceremony marking one year since the attacks on the presidential palace, the National Congress, and the Supreme Court.Ton Molina/NurPhoto/Zuma. This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.. What a difference a year makes in the Brazilian Amazon. At the start of 2023, I wrote about the green shoots of the rainy season and feelings of hope inspired by the new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who promised to strengthen Indigenous rights and aim for zero deforestation. Twelve months on, both the vegetation and political optimism are drying up.. The most severe drought in living memory has finally been broken, but the rains are late and weak compared with previous years. The Xingu River is far lower than normal for January. The pulse of forest growth is also fainter—the new vegetation does not push out as far into the road as it did last January. The neighboring cattle pasture is faring even worse. The forage grasses, known as capim, were so severely burned that they have not grown back, leaving the hillsides brown and the cows emaciated. Several of the poor, skeletal beasts have escaped their fields and wandered towards our community in search of food. Local people say more than a dozen cows have died of starvation at this one ranch, and countless others elsewhere.. Less obvious, but in many ways more worrying, is the dearth of leafcutter ants. These large-mandibled insects are usually everywhere, slicing and carrying vegetation in columns to create fungal gardens in their nests, which spread out over dozens of meters in Gaudi-esque towers and mounds. Entomologists say these ants have the second most complex societies on Earth, after humans, and they are the dominant herbivores in the South American tropics, trimming about a sixth of all the leaves produced in the forest. This stimulates new plant growth and enriches the soil. Not for nothing have these ants been described as ecosystem engineers.. On average, close to 1 million trees are still being chopped down or burned every day in the Amazon.. Each day, I pass three big nests of leafcutters on my daily walk with the dogs. Just over a year ago, I ventured too close during the annual revoada, when the winged females set out on their nuptial flights followed by clouds of males. It is a sensitive time for the insects and the soldier ants were in fiercely protective mode. I was driven away with my foot bloodied and me howling with pain.. Despite this, I have never ceased to admire these tiny, powerful creatures so I was dismayed to discover that all four nests are apparently lifeless. The mounds appear deflated, there is no newly excavated soil at the entrances, and not a single leafcutter ant to be seen. This is bizarre as a healthy colony can have 3.5 million members and they never previously stopped working. Entomologists tell me they may have relocated or been wiped out by the prolonged dry season. It is an alarming reminder that the weakening of forest resilience takes many forms and the impact of the drought remains incalculable.. Human-caused global heating and deforestation are parching the forest—and not just over the last year. Scientists have found the Amazonian dry season is getting hotter, drier and longer. Fifty years ago, it lasted four months. Now, it is five. This is causing a die-back of trees and other species that are being pushed beyond their survival thresholds. An ecosystem-wide collapse that would turn the Amazon into a savanna draws ever closer.. Lula knows this. In a speech at Cop28 in Dubai last November he told the world he was shocked that the region’s rivers, which are the greatest freshwater source in the world, are at their lowest level for more than 120 years. He said this was a global climate problem and called on other countries to make a greater effort. “Even if we do not cut down any more trees, the Amazon could reach its point of no return if other countries do not do their part.”. But his own government’s efforts to protect the forest and its people have been mixed. A first-year report card for Lula would show progress compared with the low benchmark set by the previous far-right administration of Jair Bolsonaro, but also failed promises, political weakness and worrying signs of regression.. First, the all-important good news. Deforestation in the Amazon has slowed by about 50 percent over the past year. For the first time since 2018, the clearance rate was less than 10,000 square kilometers in the 12 months until July 31. Still more encouraging, the loss of tree cover in Indigenous territories fell by 73 percent.. The bad news is that, even with this deceleration, on average close to 1 million trees are still being chopped down or burned every day in the Amazon. Countless more died because of the drought and this will worsen the degradation of the forest. Overall, there is no doubt the Amazon finished 2023 in a worse condition than it started, though sadly that has been the case for every year in the past half century.. There are other causes for concern. The Amazon’s southern neighbor, the Cerrado savanna, suffered the largest devastation since 2016 as a result of the expansion of soy plantations and cattle ranching. This repeats the public relations ruse of earlier Lula administrations, which reduced deforestation in the globally center-stage Amazon, while giving a green light to destruction of the important but lesser known Cerrado.. It is a similar story for Indigenous rights. Lula was a true pioneer in creating a separate ministry for this and his government has recognized six new territories, which numerous studies have shown is the most cost-effective way of conserving forest and sequestering carbon.. Yet, he has been outmaneuvered by a hostile congress, which has passed a new law, known as Marco Temporal, to limit Indigenous land approval.. There is no doubt that Lula is drifting—or being pushed—ever further away from science and Indigenous rights.. This is not the only challenge to the president’s authority. A year ago, Lula faced down an attempted coup by Bolsonaro supporters, including elements of the police. The army sat on the fence, which was hardly a vote of confidence. Since then, the military has neglected to support the government’s efforts to remove thousands of illegal gold miners from Yanomami territory. As a result, the Lula administration has lost control over those lands and failed to alleviate a humanitarian disaster. Although the government spent $200 million and mobilized 2,000 healthcare workers to the region, 308 Yanomami died from preventable diseases between January and November—little different from the toll during Bolsonaro’s last year in office.. Meanwhile, a new and still greater threat is emerging in the shape of a paved highway through the heart of the western Amazon. The planned BR-319 upgrade from Manaus to Porto Velho would devastate one of the last great, relatively undisturbed areas of the rainforest because roads have always been precursors to illegal logging, mining, land clearance, and invasions of Indigenous lands. The project has been resisted for many years on the basis of expert scientific advice. But last month, lawmakers—with the support of the construction and agribusiness lobbies—passed a bill to dilute environmental licensing requirements for the road, which they have declared a “priority infrastructure necessary for national security.” Lula has effectively given the go-ahead by setting up a BR-319 working group and sidelining the environment ministry in the process.. In a remarkable example of Orwellian newspeak, his transport minister, Renan Filho, says the project will build the “most sustainable and greenest highway on the planet.” He is also seeking project financing from the $1.2 billion Amazon fund, which was set up by Norway, with additional commitments from Britain, Germany and the US, to reduce deforestation and promote sustainability.. The BR-319 is a flagrant contradiction of those goals. Making such a request makes a mockery of the international fund and the Brazilian government’s environmental credibility. It is a bad joke, not least because one of the goals of the new road is to facilitate oil and gas exploration deep inside the forest, in addition to existing exploration near the mouth of the Amazon. It is the same shortsighted race to cash in on petroleum that is seen in the US, the UK, Canada, Russia, Norway, and other petrol-producing nations.. Lula cannot seem to decide what kind of leader he wants to be. To a global audience, he speaks of the modern need for climate action and promises zero deforestation. But to his domestic electorate, he remains an old-fashioned concrete-and-oil state builder. Compared with last year, there is no doubt he is drifting—or being pushed—ever further away from science and Indigenous rights, and ever closer to business and capitalist extractivism. Given Lula’s weak political position and ideological instincts, it is not hard to understand why. But as a response to record droughts and increasingly deadly weather events, it feels more like a surrender than a compromise.. In the Amazon, the climate crisis is hitting hard. As welcome as the slowdown in deforestation has been, it is not enough and even this is threatened by new roads and oil projects. If the political drift continues, it will not be just the trees, the cows and the ants that start to die off.
