Brazilian and French Presidents Gear up to Combat Climate Change

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke for over an hour this Thursday about environmental and hunger challenges as well as risks of extreme right groups to democracy. Macron reiterated France’s support to Brazil after the recent invasion by thousands of followers of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro.

The two presidents discussed ongoing negotiations for securing a Mercosur-European Union agreement, and the urgency of finding peace between Russia and Ukraine. Lula also invited Macron to Rio de Janeiro to view a nuclear-powered submarine being built as part of the joint cooperation between both countries.

The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to take action against climate change, biodiversity, forests and against hunger, aiming to overcome these challenges. Relations between Brazil and France were seen to improve as Bolsonaro’s tenure was replaced by Lula’s. Macron and Bolsonaro had poor ties due to the ex-president’s inadequate efforts in protecting the Amazon, which has become a key resource in the fight against global warming.