PoliticsFlávio Bolsonaro’s lead in Brazil election jolts climate campaigners

Flávio Bolsonaro won 47% in Brazil’s first presidential round, ahead of incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on 44.2%, putting him in pole position for the 25 October runoff. The result alarms climate and nature campaigners: although Lula’s administration has nearly halved Amazon deforestation, that record brought little electoral benefit. A Bolsonaro victory could dismantle environmental safeguards and expose Indigenous territories to illegal mining, logging and land grabbing, threatening Brazil’s biomes and the global climate.

Brazil electionFlávio BolsonaroAmazon rainforestclimate change

TThe Guardian★★★★☆2026-10-07 12:03Original