3. The good science of ‘bad Brazilians’

Brazil has pledged to end deforestation within a decade in a pledge signed by more than 100 nations at the COP26 climate summit. But do Brazilian leaders really believe in fighting climate change? Inside the country, climate change disinformation is thriving, while good and credible information is being undermined, even by the country’s own president. Influential voices with connections to the agriculture industry are spreading baseless conspiracy theories that man-made climate change is a hoax, invented by foreigners to hold the country’s economy back. Scientists at one of the government’s own agencies were accused of being “bad Brazilians” by President Jair Bolsonaro, after they produced data which showed an alarming rate of deforestation in the Amazon. The row resulted in the sacking of the head of the agency, who now fears the government is in the grip of climate change denialism. However, President Bolsonaro insists he is stepping up protection of the environment and has warned other countries not to meddle in Brazil’s internal affairs. Is the Amazon, one of the most important regions in the world for fighting climate change, safe in his hands?