Security & Strategic Review - July 2026

According to data from environmental monitoring platform MapBiomas, deforestation in Brazil has been decreasing every year since the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office at the start of 2023. This could well be claimed as a victory for the environmental protection goals of the Lula administration. However, there are still major risks that could undermine these green goals, with a raft of potentially harmful legislation making progress in congress, as well as the continued support from authorities for controversial infrastructure projects that environmental groups have long warned could increase deforestation.