Latin America's right-wing swing looms large over nature summit
Brazil's election looms large over the UN's COP17 nature summit in Armenia; Right-wing victories in Latin America has raised concerns over the fate of environment in region. Leer más
The UN's COP17 nature summit in Armenia is facing scrutiny due to a wave of right-wing victories in Latin America. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a leftist dedicated to protecting the Amazon, is contesting a run-off vote against conservative Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. Camila Jardim, a Greenpeace expert, expressed hope that Brazil remains on the right side of environmental progress.
Jardim noted the potential loss of key champions of biodiversity and climate change in the region. Argentina elected climate-sceptic Javier Milei, Chile's far-right president halted environmental protection decrees, and Colombia elected far-right fracking supporter Abelardo de la Espriella. Colombia had previously hosted the 2024 COP16 biodiversity summit.
Juliette Landry from the IDDRI research center reminded observers that Latin American countries were previously very ambitious participants at the 2022 biodiversity summit. Colombia's deputy environment minister, David Olarte Amaya, expressed confidence in his country's continued efforts at the summit. Armenian Environment Minister Hambardzum Matevosyan, who presides over the talks, indicated that both previous and current Colombian governments share a common approach.
The focus now shifts to Brazil, where Bolsonaro is favored to win, given his father's record of deforestation and his own anti-environmental stance. The outcome of the Brazilian election could significantly impact international negotiations, particularly regarding Brazil's role in coalitions among developing nations.
Written by urgent.news from Buenos Aires Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
