The man looking after planet’s lungs

It is depressing to think that for the first time since the return of democracy in 1985 Brazilians have elected a far-Right president of the republic. Jair Bolsonaro, a seven-term lawmaker and former army captain, represents a clear and present danger not only to his country but to the planet. At home he has defended dictatorship and torture and joked about killing his Left-wing opponents. He has a history of denigrating women, gay people and minorities. The president-elect promises to bring order by spreading chaos with a relaxation of gun laws.

Bolsonaro’s programme, if taken seriously, and his environmental utterances, if taken literally, amount to a threat to humanity. Brazil’s new president takes office in January, in charge of the world’s lungs, the Amazon, and the world’s breadbasket, the Cerrado savannah. He will be able to decide the course of the battle against climate change at a critical point. The signs are not good.

He favours business over biodiversity and calls for pro-market ways of exploiting Brazil’s natural resources, notably coming out against the policy of reserving the 12 per cent of the country’s land for indigenous tribes.

With the US administration run by climatechange sceptics and China tacking away from its green stance, Europe must take a lead to curb Bolsonaro’s worst environmental instincts, which are a menace to everyone on the planet.