Fires and Floods Turn Climate Into a Major Worry for Brazilians

(Bloomberg) -- Record-breaking floods, droughts and fires have Brazilians more worried about the environment than ever, turning it into a potent political issue as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva prepares to host a major global climate conference next year.

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Nearly a third of Brazilians now rank environmental destruction and global warming as one of the biggest problems facing the country, a share that puts it ahead of the economy and behind only corruption and crime, according to LatAm Pulse, a survey conducted by AtlasIntel for Bloomberg News and published Thursday. The poll asked respondents to identify their top three concerns.

That is a new development for the nation home to the world’s largest rainforest: While deforestation in the Amazon region has long captured global attention, the environment has rarely registered as a serious domestic political concern in Brazil.

Extreme weather events have upended the lives of millions of Brazilians this year, blanketing major cities in wildfire smoke while others suffer historic flooding. The share of respondents who rank the environment as one of their top worries has doubled since May, and Brazilians are far more likely than regional peers to name it: Fewer than 6% of Mexicans and 3% of Chileans did so, according to the survey. In Argentina, it garnered less than 1%.

The mounting worries present both an opportunity and a challenge for Lula.

The leftist leader’s efforts to protect the Amazon and spark a green transition of Latin America’s largest economy have won him international praise and set the stage for Brazil to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference — known as COP30 — next year. He has made more aggressive climate action a centerpiece of Brazil’s Group of 20 nations presidency as well.

At home, however, the disasters have forced the government to respond to crises that are suddenly affecting large swathes of the country, including its biggest city, Sao Paulo, and the capital Brasilia. That has heightened scrutiny of its relief efforts, environmental policies and Lula’s pledges to prevent future climate calamities. The devastation has also taken a toll on the economy and contributed to accelerating inflation.

In late April, heavy rains hammered the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, causing billions of dollars in damage and lasting impacts on crops and harvests in a major agricultural hub. The country’s worst-ever drought has reduced mighty rivers to muddy streams and exacerbated wildfires that have dented production of sugar, coffee and other food products.

Regulators have hiked energy prices to compensate for low water levels at hydroelectric power plants that supply about two-thirds of the country’s electricity. Food costs have also risen, while Lula’s government has scrambled to provide relief even amid deepening concerns about Brazil’s fiscal situation.

The pace of deforestation has slowed since the 79-year-old Lula returned to power in 2023. He has pushed rich nations to provide more funding to protect tropical forests, and won new financial commitments from the US, European Union and other countries to Brazil’s flagship Amazon Fund.

Still, scientists warn that current climate efforts are insufficient, and Lula’s own government has struggled through internal conflicts between its green ambitions and desires to boost extraction of fossil fuels that help drive the country’s economy.

AtlasIntel surveyed 2,371 people in Brazil between Oct. 10-14. The poll has a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.

--With assistance from Beatriz Amat.

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