The left-right divide—a healthy feature of a pluralist political system—is so toxic now that divergence of opinion has surpassed the realm of policymaking.
In 2018, more than 160 land and environmental defenders were killed—many of them Indigenous.
An impending trade deal with the E.U. has instigated further pushback from non-governmental organizations and local activists against any deal with the Brazilian government.
Fines for illegal deforestation were down 34 percent from January 1st to May 15th this year compared to the same period last year—the largest drop ever recorded.
The far-right government of President Jair Bolsonaro has instituted new policies that put indigenous land rights and health services under threat.
Environmental groups argue that Europe should use trade leverage to prevent the Brazilian government from furthering the destruction of the rainforest.
Although producers of soy, cattle, and timber were charged with environmental crimes, their products continue to flow into international markets.
The Brazilian minister of mines and energy stated that Brazil would open its indigenous territories to mining interests without the consent of the affected population.
In Jair Bolsonaro's Brazil, the new government and far-right groups are propagandizing a fictional version of the European Middle Ages to legitimize their reactionary agenda.
Negro Leo's music advocates a radical solidarity with his country's least fortunate.
Brazilian commodities producers have long dreamed of a railroad network crisscrossing Amazonia and the Cerrado, able to cheaply move crops and minerals from the nation's interior to South America's coasts. But factors, including lack of investment, political instability, and difficult terrain, have foiled those hopes—until now.
Brazilians are registered in their local municipalities, so they must return to those locations on election day—even if it takes them nearly a full day to do so.
Experts argue that the political structure of populist nationalism makes introducing policies to reduce, or mitigate, emissions in democracies difficult.
Researchers warn that an area of Brazilian Amazon rainforest bigger than Ireland is at risk of losing its legal protection.
Just before the vote, a video with homophobic overtones appeared across multiple social media networks and may have helped steer the election toward far-right president-elect Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro's angry, populist campaign rhetoric led many newspapers and public figures worldwide to declare his candidacy a threat to the country's 33-year-old democracy.
Communities made up of fugitive slave descendants have been forced from their lands and denied their rights, a situation that may only get worse under newly elected president Jair Bolsonaro.
Far from the urban hubs of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, thousands of poor Brazilians must travel hours by boat just to vote.