Brazilian climate politics

As the ninth-largest economy in the world, Brazil will play a crucial role in global efforts to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Until recently, the country has played a leading role in international climate efforts, but since the election of President Bolsonaro in January 2019, Brazil’s climate policies have been overturned almost in their entirety. Efforts to preserve the Amazon, promote renewable energy, plan for sustainable urban mobility, foster adaptation, and encourage low-carbon agricultural practices have all been halted under Bolsonaro’s populist administration.

In this webinar, Associate Professor André Felipe Simões from the University of São Paulo will examine Brazilian climate politics, the abrupt loss of the country’s protagonism and the impact on international efforts to mitigate climate change. The seminar will also discuss some correlated issues, such as the lack of policies for the progressive elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, some of the successful subnational climate-change policies carried out by states and municipalities and the consequences of eliminating the Brazilian enviornmental agency’s budget for fire prevention.