Indigenous Peoples Demand an End to Impunity in the Amazon

On Sept. 5, 2022, Brazilians celebrated the International Day of Indigenous Women and the Day of the Amazon through rallies against the political and economic elites that facilitate the destruction of ecosystems of global importance.

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Brazil: Deforestation Encourages Fires in the Amazon

Indigenous peoples mobilized towards cities to protest against the destruction of the Amazon forests and demand an end to impunity for crimes against the environment.

“Data from Ruralometer 2022 show that 75 percent of parliamentarians from the Amazon region voted in favor of policies harmful to the environment and Indigenous peoples," outlet Tapajos de Fato pointed out.

Human rights defenders and environmental activists also recalled that the destruction of Brazilian ecosystems occurs with the complacency of the right-wing caucus, which brings together representatives of big corporation.

From Jan. 1 to Aug. 31, some 58,000 fire outbreaks were recorded in the Brazilian Amazon. This figure represents a 20-percent increase compared to the same period in 2021. Over the last 37 years, the Amazon forests lost an area equivalent to 10 times the surface of the state of Rio de Janeiro.

The highest deforestation rate took place in 2022, during the administration of President Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right politician who promotes the conversion of Amazon lands into territories for agribusiness, mining, and logging.

“On the Day of the Amazon, we reaffirm our commitment to fight in defense of Mother Earth. It is urgent to defeat this ecocidal administration to preserve the Amazon and defend the Indigenous peoples and the jungle,” said Zuleide Queiroz, a Socialist candidate for lawmaker

On Sept. 5, the Workers' Party presidential candidate Lula da Silva once again expressed his commitment to the fight for the conservation of the Amazon basin.

“Either we take care of our ecosystems and biodiversity or we will be the only species that will destroy itself. With all the knowledge and information we have today, we need to work on the preservation and recovery of the Amazon,” said the former union leader, who remains the overwhelming favorite to win the October 2 elections.