Amazon deforestation in Brazil falls to decade low under Lula
Official data show forest clearing in Brazil’s Amazon dropped 38% in the first half of 2026, reaching the lowest level since 2016.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon fell to its lowest first-half level in 10 years, according to official government figures released Friday. The decline gives President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva fresh evidence for his pledge to end illegal forest clearing by 2030.
Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, known as INPE, estimated that 1,295 square kilometres, or about 500 square miles, of Amazon forest were cleared from January through June. INPE said that was 38% less than in the same period last year and the lowest first-half total since 2016.
The data mark another drop since Lula returned to office promising stronger environmental enforcement. Al Jazeera, AFP and The Associated Press reported that deforestation fell by half during Lula’s first year back in power and has continued to decline.
Bolsonaro record looms over election year
Forest loss in Brazil climbed to a recent peak around 2022 under Lula’s predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, according to the reporting. That year, an area 13 times the size of New York City was cleared.
Bolsonaro promoted what he called sustainable development and mining in the Amazon. Critics accused his government of enabling more environmental damage and weakening Indigenous rights in the region.
Lula defeated Bolsonaro in the 2022 presidential race after campaigning partly on protecting Brazil’s environmental resources. He also renewed Brazil’s commitment to eliminate illegal deforestation by 2030.
Lula’s broader environmental record remains contested. Critics have faulted his government for authorising expanded oil exploration near the mouth of the Amazon River, even as his administration points to lower forest-clearing figures as proof of progress.
Tariff dispute adds political pressure
The Amazon data arrive amid tension between Lula’s government and the administration of United States President Donald Trump, a Bolsonaro ally. Trump opposed Bolsonaro’s prosecution last year on charges tied to an effort to overturn Brazil’s 2022 election results, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and AP; Bolsonaro has since been sentenced to 27 years in prison.
In June, Trump officials proposed new tariffs on Brazil, citing unfair trade practices and illegal deforestation among the reasons. Lula’s government has used the latest INPE figures to push back against that argument.
“They don’t understand the work we are doing to bring deforestation down to zero by 2030. This is not a decision by any COP or by the United Nations,” Lula said, referring to the UN climate talks. “It is a decision of our government.”
Researchers have credited Brazil with helping drive last year’s global decline in rainforest loss, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and AP. The reductions followed Lula’s revival of an anti-deforestation action plan and higher penalties for environmental crimes.
The Amazon is the world’s largest rainforest and stores large amounts of carbon while helping regulate the climate. Scientists and environmental groups closely watch deforestation there because forest clearing is also Brazil’s leading source of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the reporting.
Lula, 80, is campaigning for a fourth non-consecutive presidential term after previously serving from 2003 to 2011. In October’s election, he is likely to face Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, Jair Bolsonaro’s eldest son, who has become the main right-wing challenger.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.