Impeaching the president seems the only viable option for Brazil’s two-fold crisis

1 minute read

Just last month, a forest area equal to the Isle of Man was razed in the Amazon [1].

No exaggeration is needed: the situation remains out of control. 

“We can’t afford to just wait for the next guy” is the crux of a Politico article by Colman and Grunwald [2] which neatly frames the messy situation of the Amazon rainforest and US-Brazil relations. 

Granted, all countries shoulder some responsibility for the forest’s future but, with 60% in its domain, there is no question that the buck stops with Brazil. There can be no waiting to redress a problem so systemically threatening to life on earth.

Likewise, there is no waiting to curtail Brazil's Covid-19 deaths (430 000 lost at time of writing). Bolsonaro faces an inquiry into his pandemic response and CNBC reports this could lead to an impeachment [3]. 

Might Bolsonaro’s Teflon status end? Waiting for a national election (October 2022) is equally untenable. Impeachment can’t come quickly enough. The next guy, or woman, is needed right now. 

This is it

Moksha

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Sources

1. Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro accused of allowing record assault on Amazon rainforest. Lucinda Elliott. May 2021. The Times.

2. Biden contemplates a climate deal with the ‘Trump of the Tropics’. Zack Coleman & Michael Grunwald. May 2021. Politico.

3. Brazil braces for renewed Covid surge as Bolsonaro faces parliamentary inquiry over pandemic response. Sam Meredith. May 2021. CNBC.