General elections are scheduled to be held in Brazil on 2 October 2022 to elect the President, Vice President, and the National Congress. Elections for state Governors and Vice Governors, State Legislative Assemblies, the Federal District Legislative Chamber and the District Council of Fernando de Noronha will be held at the same time.

Brazil: Will Bolsonaro Win the 2022 Elections? | IE Insights

This article is more than 5 months old

Brazilian academics and activists issue warning amid fresh assault on environmental protections

Amazon rainforest ‘will collapse if Bolsonaro remains president’ | Amazon rainforest | The Guardian

The collapse of the Amazon rainforest is inevitable if Jair Bolsonaro remains president of Brazil, academics and environmental activists have warned amid a fresh government assault on protections for the forest.

Despite evidence that fire, drought and land clearance are pushing the Amazon towards a point of no return, they say the far-right leader is more interested in placating the powerful agribusiness lobby and tapping global markets that reward destructive behaviour.

The onslaught on forest safeguards has picked up pace. On Wednesday the lower house was due to vote on legislation that would reward land grabbers by legalising ownership of property that had been illegally invaded and cleared before 2014.

The previous day, the government shifted responsibility for forest fire satellite monitoring away from the National Institute for Space Research, a scientifically-robust organisation that had carried out the task for decades. Control has been given to the National Institute of Meteorology, which is under the influence of the agriculture ministry and the farming sector.

In the past few months, Congress has also diluted standards for environmental impact assessments and a committee has approved a bill – PL 490 – that has been described as the greatest assault on indigenous rights since the launch of the Brazilian constitution in 1988.

Continue on next page.