Lula appoints Amazon defender as environmental minister

Brazil’s president-elect, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, announced Thursday that Amazonian activist Marina Silva will be his environment minister. The appointment indicates that the new Brazilian government will make it a priority to curb illegal deforestation of tropical forests, even if it means running afoul of powerful agribusiness interests.

Both attended the recent UN climate conference in Egypt, where Lula promised cheering crowds “zero deforestation” by 2030 in the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest and key to combating climate change. “There will be no climate security if the Amazon is not protected,” he assured then.

Her choice of Silva underscores that commitment, but the contentious choice could undermine her governance prospects, as many agribusiness players and associated legislators resent the activist. The resentment stems from her time as environment minister for most of Lula’s last presidential term, from 2003 to 2010.

In a press conference on Thursday, Lula also appointed Sonia Guajajara as Brazil’s first minister of Indigenous Peoples and soybean farmer Carlos Fávaro as agriculture minister. Lula will be sworn in on January 1, 2023.

Silva was born in the Amazon and worked as a rubber tapper in her teens. As environment minister, she oversaw the creation of dozens of conservation zones and a sophisticated anti-deforestation strategy, with major operations against environmental criminals and modern satellite monitoring.

He also helped design the largest international effort to preserve the rainforest: the Amazon Fund, backed for the most part by Norway. Deforestation was drastically reduced.

However, Lula and Silva fell apart after he began serving farmers during his second term, and Silva resigned in 2008.

Lula seems to have convinced her that he has changed course. She joined his campaign after he accepted his conservation proposals. In her own appearance at the UN summit, Silva said Lula’s government would protect the rainforest and lead the fight against climate change.

“Brazil will once again have the leading role it had before with regard to climate, biodiversity,” Silva assured reporters during the summit.

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