Under Lula, deforestation in the Amazon is the lowest in ten years | Weather News

The figures come months before Brazil’s presidential election, in which Lula pledged to end illegal logging by 2030.

Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest will drop to its lowest level in a decade in the first half of 2026, according to government figures.

Friday’s figures reflect President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s efforts to combat the destruction of the world’s largest rainforest.

From January to June, about 1,295 square kilometers (500 square miles) of forest were cut down in the Amazon in Brazil, down 38 percent compared to the same period last year, according to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE). It was also the lowest since 2016.

In recent years, deforestation in Brazil has reached its peak around 2022, under the leadership of Lula who was to the right of Jair Bolsonaro. That year they cleared an area 13 times larger than New York City.

Bolsonaro has promoted “sustainable development” and mining in the Amazon, although critics say it allows the destruction of the environment, as well as the destruction of the rights of local people.

In the 2022 presidential race, Lula defeated Bolsonaro in part by promising to protect Brazil’s natural resources. He also confirmed Brazil’s commitment end illegal logging by 2030.

During Lula’s first year in office, Brazil’s deforestation rate was cut in half and continues to decline.

But Lula has faced his own environmental record, with critics criticizing his government for allowing oil exploration near the Amazon River.

The leftist Lula has also clashed with the right-wing government of US President Donald Trump, a supporter of Bolsonaro.

Mr Trump has categorically denied Bolsonaro’s indictment last year on charges of trying to influence the results of Brazil’s 2022 election. Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison.

In June, the Trump administration proposed a new tax plan for Brazil, citing unfair trade practices and illegal logging among its reasons.

But Lula’s government has described the recent damage as undermining the Trump administration’s claims.

“They don’t understand the work we are doing to bring prices to zero by 2030. This is not a decision of any COP or the United Nations,” said Lula, using the acronym for the Conference of Parties, which is involved in the UN’s climate change policy. “It’s our government’s decision.”

Researchers announced in Brazil and played a major role in the last year’s overall decline in rainforest loss around the world. Brazil’s decline came as Lula re-implemented a policy to combat deforestation and increase penalties for environmental crimes.

As the largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon rainforest absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide and helps regulate the global climate, and scientists and environmental groups are closely monitoring deforestation, which is also responsible for Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Lula is currently campaigning for her fourth consecutive term as president; previously, he served two terms from 2003 to 2011.

In the October presidential race, the 80-year-old is expected to face Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who has emerged as the main opposition on the right.