Bolsonaro doubles down on ideology, embarrasses Brazil and endangers the planet

As expected, Bolsonaro’s speech at the United Nations has doubled down on division, on nationalism and on ecocide. The President has once again embarrassed Brazil abroad by giving up the country’s long-standing leadership on the environment for the sake of ideology. He did nothing to calm down investors, or to sooth the rising outcry for a boycott to Brazilian products. Thus, he endangers the very agribusiness sector he has vowed to protect.
But there is more. Bolsonaro’s policies bring an immediate risk to all humankind. Science warns us that we have until 2030 to cut carbon emissions by 45% if we want to have a standing chance of stabilizing global heating at 1.5oC, thus avoiding its worst impacts. Runaway deforestation both in the cerrado and in Amazonia can, alone, blow the global target.