Oct 11 2024 | Nº. 138

Editorial

On Sunday, October 6, Brazilians voted in municipal elections. The results were long expected to clarify the political landscape of the final two years of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s unprecedented third term. Although Lula’s Workers’ Party (PT) managed to increase its number of mayors nationwide to 251 from the 182 it elected two years ago, it failed to meet the loftier ambitions that would signal rising strength for the president’s party in the years ahead. Indeed, the outcome solidified the conclusion that Lula himself is currently a more potent political force than his party as a whole. The problem this poses for the PT is that Lula will eventually leave the scene, with no clear successor waiting in the wings. The center-right Social Democratic Party (PSD), whose leader Gilberto Kassab keeps open lines of communication with forces on both left and right, emerged as the greatest victor, prevailing in 888 municipalities. Reactionary forces organized in the so-called Centrão (Big Center) and other right-leaning parties also made substantial gains, pointing both to the enduring strength of conservatives at the ballot box and emerging splits among the right-wing coalition that has been organized around former President Jair Bolsonaro. 

Notably, the first round of voting was carried out while Twitter/X was off the air in Brazil. Following a Supreme Federal Court (STF) ruling on October 8, however, the social media platform was allowed to resume operations after more than a month offline. This came after Elon Musk, who owns Twitter/X and who has openly embraced far-right political views in recent years, agreed to pay over R$ 28 million (US$5 million) in fines and meet other requirements, including appointing a legal representative in Brazil. It remains to be seen how the social media’s return will affect the campaigns that required a run-off, including São Paulo, the country’s largest city. 

In another key development that attracted considerable attention, the Senate confirmed Gabriel Galípolo as the new president of the Central Bank, a move that reflects a commitment to economic stability and reform. Galípolo, known for his expertise in economic policy and his previous role as a financial advisor, was handpicked for the role by Finance Minister Fernando Haddad. He faces the challenge of addressing inflation and fostering growth amidst a complex global economic environment, signaling both a commitment to fiscal responsibility and alignment with Lula’s aim of increasing the pace of economic growth. As he steps into this influential role, Galípolo's leadership will be closely watched by both domestic and international stakeholders, with the potential to significantly shape Brazil's economic trajectory in the years to come. For the first time in Lula’s term, he will have a Central Bank head who is not perceived to be at odds with the administration’s priorities.

Highlights

• Congress x Supreme Court. The Committee on Constitution and Justice (CCJ), a congressional body responsible for analyzing the constitutionality of measures approved by the House, approved four legal changes on October 9 to limit the powers of the Supreme Federal Court (STF). Approval by the CCJ is just one step. To come into effect, the measures still need to be voted on in the full House. The offensive against the highest body of justice in Brazil has been led mainly by parliamentarians linked to the extreme right, a sector led by former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing several lawsuits in the Supreme Court. One of the measures approved by the CCJ prevents a Supreme Court justice from deciding alone to suspend a law that has been previously approved in Congress. This impediment could only happen after a vote by entire bench of the Supreme Court. Another project classifies as usurpation of power the mere judicial decision to suspend the validity of a law previously approved by Congress. The measures exacerbate the dispute over power between the executive and legislative branches, one of the major points of friction that Bolsonaro has kept alive since leaving power.

• Division on the right. Evangelical pastor Silas Malafaia, an influential leader of the Brazilian far right in the religious and political matters, harshly criticized Jair Bolsonaro for his “cowardly” behavior during the municipal elections. Malafaia expressed discontent with what he perceived as Bolsonaro’s abandonment of far-right candidates who were running in the local elections and depended on his explicit support to get votes. The former president reportedly hid and seemed to be absent from the race. Malafaia’s speech triggered other criticism from exponents of the far right on a rare occasion when the sector has been fragmented with its main leader being criticized in public.

• New tax. The newspaper Folha de São Paulo brings behind-the-scenes news in which it claims that the Lula government plans to institute a new tax on the income of millionaires in Brazil. One possibility is that this new tax will be levied on people whose income is over R$1 million (US$179.2 thousand). According to today's data, 250 thousand Brazilians would be in this situation. The new tax would help cover the R$50 billion (US$8.9 billion) shortfall caused by the fulfillment of the promise made by Lula during his presidential election campaign to exempt those with monthly incomes of up to R$5 thousand (US$895).

   

• Inflation. After a 0.02% drop in August, the IPCA, the index that is officially used to measure inflation in Brazil, rose 0.44% in September. The increase is worrying because, in the last 12 months, the IPCA reached 4.42% – very close to the target, which is 4.5%. The rise in prices is mainly linked to the drought. The lack of rain affecting much of Brazil has caused the prices of both electricity and food, especially meat and fruit, to rise.

News from the WBO, Organizations and Social Movements

Diaspora Brazil. The Diáspora Brazil Institute in partnership with the Latino Equity Fund will launch a special report on October 24 celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Brazilian community in Massachusetts. The launch will take place in conjunction with a forum in which aspects of the demographics of the Brazilian population in the area will be analyzed and discussed, presenting findings resulting from interviews conducted with focus groups of second-generation Brazilians, community organizations, entrepreneurs, religious, leaders and artists. Click on the link to register.

LGBTQIA+ The president of the WBO Board of Directors, James N. Green, will participate on October 16, at 7 pm, in a panel discussion about his book “Writings of a Red Faggot: Politics, Sexuality and Solidarity”, moderated by Renan Quinalha. The panel is part of the “Meeting with Writers” series, held by the publisher UNESP and the City of São Paulo, at the Mário de Andrade Library. Registration, free of charge, can be done through the link.

Mercosur. On Thursday, October 10, the Uruguayan state, which holds the rotating presidency of Mercosur, and the Mercosur Institute of Public Policies on Human Rights (IPPDH) held the 4th Preparatory Dialogue for the Meeting of High Authorities on Human Rights of Mercosur (RAADH), which will take place virtually from November 1 to 19. The meeting was created to promote the participation of organized civil society in defining important points that make up the RAADH agenda.

WBO researchers. Jana Silverman, PhD in Labor Economics from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), visiting professor of International Relations at Federal University of the ABC (UFABC)) and former researcher fellow at WBO, published together with Stanely A. Gacek, senior advisor for Global Strategies at United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) and member of the WBO Board of Directors, an article in the Global Labor Journal about the Brazilian union movement and labor relations in President Lula's third term. To access the article, simply click on the link.

Feature Article

Cerrado: The Invisible Biome, Heart of the Waters and Guardian of Life

By Ingrid Silveira*

The Cerrado emerged 80 million years ago, making it one of the oldest biomes on the planet. In just fifty years, predatory human action has destroyed 50% of the native vegetation of this biome, which is the second largest biodiversity reserve in Brazil and the most biodiverse savannah on the planet – a biome that has about 5% of all species in the world.

So much damage in such a short time! The harmful impacts of human action were aggravated in 2024 by the more than 60,000 fires recorded, many of them arson, which for days covered the skies of several Brazilian cities with smoke. Most of these fires occurred in the region known as Matopiba (the initials of the states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí and Bahia), a critical area of ​​agricultural expansion. Fires in the Cerrado contribute to land conflicts and land grabbing, mainly by facilitating illegal deforestation and the expansion of agribusiness. The use of fire quickly destroys large areas of native vegetation, allowing these lands to be converted into pastures and monocultures, such as soy and cattle. This illegal practice favors the undue appropriation of land, often through the invasion of Indigenous territories, traditional communities, and protected areas, which intensifies land conflicts. In addition, fires force local communities to leave, increasing the vulnerability of these areas to land grabbing.

These fires not only emit large amounts of CO₂, contributing to global warming, but also directly affect biodiversity, causing habitat loss and animal deaths, in addition to damaging soil quality and the rainfall cycle. And here we have a point of great concern: water resources.

The Cerrado occupies a strategic position in the center of the continent, in the Brazilian Central Plateau, spilling water over the whole of Brazil and part of South America, supplying eight of the twelve main Brazilian river basins. Because it directly supplies the Amazon, the Pantanal, the Atlantic Forest and the Caatinga, ensuring the survival of millions of people, flora and fauna, this biome is known as the “heart of the waters”. Historically neglected and poorly understood, the Cerrado is often treated as a “demographic void” ripe for unbridled exploitation. For it to be truly understood, it is essential to recognize its unique characteristics. In a beautiful dynamic, the “flying rivers” bring humidity from the Amazon to the Cerrado, forming a water cycle of interdependence. This occurs because the Cerrado has a differentiated vegetation: it is an “inverted forest,” where most of the biomass is in the deep roots, which are up to 15 meters deep. These roots have an essential function: to transport and store water, creating true underground rivers that feed aquifers and surface rivers. Without the vegetation of the Cerrado, these bodies of water would be depleted, leading to the collapse of the chain ecosystems and impacting not only Brazil, but all of South America.

In addition to its fundamental ecological function, the Cerrado is home to an impressive diversity of peoples, cultures, and ways of life. These peoples, who include Indigenous communities, quilombola communities made up of descendants of escaped enslaved people, geraizeiros (traditional inhabitants of the Cerrado from northern Minas Gerais), babassu coconut breakers, wild plant gatherers, among other important traditional groups, have an intimate and sacred relationship with the land. For these communities, the Cerrado is not just a natural resource to be exploited, but a living entity, an extension of their own existence. They see the land as a mother who feeds and cares for them and, in return, they practice sustainable management methods that preserve and enrich the biome. The cultural diversity and ancestral wisdom of these peoples are invaluable. They have resisted for centuries, maintaining agricultural and extractive practices that promote the conservation of the Cerrado, while ensuring their own subsistence. This harmonious relationship with the environment is a living example that the coexistence of human development and environmental conservation is not only possible, but necessary.

The protection of the Cerrado is closely linked to the protection of its peoples, whose survival is fundamental to the preservation of the biome. The path to reversing its degradation involves recognizing the rights of Traditional Peoples and Communities, who act as its true guardians. It is essential that the international community, including socio-environmental organizations and the United Nations, support sustainable development policies that respect and value these ways of life. Furthermore, the goal of zero deforestation – both legal and illegal – must be non-negotiable, while the promotion of agroecological practices and the restoration of degraded areas are crucial to ensuring that the Cerrado continues to play its vital role as a climate regulator and water supplier.

Considering this scenario, it is imperative that the world wake up to the reality of the Cerrado. It is not just a Brazilian biome, but a heritage of humanity, whose preservation is essential for global climate stability and for the water security of the South American continent. The Cerrado is the heart of the waters, and without water there is no life.

*Ingrid Silveira is executive secretary of the Cerrado Network

Feature articles express the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or WBO.