OPINION: The election of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to a third term of office in Brazil stirred the hopes of those who want to see meaningful protection for environmental treasures such as the Amazon rainforest.

Similarly, Lula’s appointment of Jean Paul Prates — a senator who has championed clean energy and decarbonisation — to head Petrobras raised expectations that Brazil’s state-controlled oil company will veer toward a much greener application of its capital for investment.

Lula’s appointment of Marina Silva as Environment & Climate Change Minister suggests that the Workers Party-led coalition will be practive in protecting the environment and responding to climate change.