Brazil's energy course may hold after election, but Amazon at risk
Brazil’s energy path could change less than environmentalists expect if right-wing candidate Flávio Bolsonaro wins Sunday’s presidential election. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration has celebrated new oil discovery and exploration efforts, and lawmakers from the candidates’ parties found much agreement when debating a critical minerals law centered on domestic value addition earlier this year. Brazilian economist Monica de Bolle said enforcement of existing environmental laws could weaken under Bolsonaro, whose father presided over the loss of more than 11 million acres of rainforest.
Why it matters: The election matters for the briefing’s energy theme because Brazil’s oil and critical-minerals course may prove more continuous than expected, while Amazon enforcement is the likelier source of divergence.