Opinion: Brazil's ecosystems would face collapse if Flávio Bolsonaro is elected, George Monbiot warns

Summary

In a Guardian opinion column, George Monbiot argues that if Flávio Bolsonaro is elected president of Brazil, the country's ecosystems will face collapse, and that ruling classes would rather burn the world than share it with the poor. Monbiot cites signs of progress: since 2015, mostly thanks to China, the area of the planet being reforested has increased, and thanks in large part to Brazil, the global rate of forest destruction has declined. He writes that the Brazilian Amazon area cleared each year is one-sixth of what it was when records began in 1988, and that under Brazilian government policy the deforestation rate has fallen by 71% in the past four years. He says that if Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is re-elected on Sunday, the country could reach zero deforestation by 2030.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   22 Oct 2026, 05:00 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian published a George Monbiot opinion column arguing that Flávio Bolsonaro's election would cause Brazil's ecosystems to collapse, and that Lula's re-election on Sunday could bring Brazil to zero deforestation by 2030.