Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest has dropped to its lowest level in a decade, with official figures showing that 1,295 square kilometres of forest were cleared in the first half of 2026 — a 38 percent reduction compared with the same period last year and the lowest recorded rate since 2016. The data, released by Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), marks a significant milestone for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has made environmental protection a cornerstone of his administration.
The decline represents a dramatic reversal from the peak deforestation years under Lula's far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, whose tenure culminated in 2022 with the clearing of an area roughly 13 times the size of New York City. Bolsonaro had championed what he called "sustainable development" and promoted mining in the Amazon, a policy critics said enabled widespread environmental destruction and eroded the rights of Indigenous communities in the region. Lula, a left-wing politician now serving what would be his fourth non-consecutive term if re-elected — he previously held office from 2003 to 2011 — defeated Bolsonaro in the 2022 presidential race in part by pledging to halt illegal deforestation entirely by 2030. Since taking office, his government relaunched a national anti-deforestation action plan and toughened penalties for environmental crimes, contributing to a halving of deforestation rates in his first year alone.
The figures arrive at a politically charged moment. Brazil is heading into an October presidential election in which Lula, now 80, is expected to face Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the former president's eldest son and the leading challenger from the right. The elder Bolsonaro, sentenced to 27 years in prison after being convicted of seeking to overturn the 2022 election results, has remained a polarising figure internationally — drawing vocal support from US President Donald Trump. In June, the Trump administration proposed new tariffs on Brazil, citing unfair trading practices and, notably, illegal deforestation. Lula's government has pointed directly to the latest INPE data to challenge that justification. "They don't understand the work we are doing to bring deforestation down to zero by 2030," Lula said. "It is a decision of our government."
Scientists and climate researchers have credited Brazil's progress as a major factor in last year's overall slowdown in global rainforest loss — a significant development given that the Amazon, the world's largest tropical rainforest, absorbs vast quantities of carbon dioxide and plays a critical role in regulating the global climate. Deforestation remains the leading driver of Brazil's greenhouse gas emissions. However, Lula's environmental record is not without controversy: his administration has faced criticism for authorising expanded oil exploration near the mouth of the Amazon River, a decision that environmental groups argue undermines his broader conservation message.
Beyond national policy, grassroots environmental efforts are also gaining ground in Brazil. Community organisations across the outskirts of São Paulo are tackling local dimensions of the environmental crisis — transforming illegal rubbish dumps into urban gardens, monitoring water sources in the Atlantic Forest region, and running environmental education programmes in schools. These initiatives, largely self-organised and chronically underfunded, reflect a growing civic awareness of climate pressures at the neighbourhood level, complementing — if not always connected to — the policy shifts playing out in Brasília.