A wave of right-wing election wins across Latin America is causing concern at the UN's COP17 biodiversity summit in Yerevan, Armenia, with Brazil's presidential run-off on Sunday closely watched, the Buenos Aires Times reports, citing AFP.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has pledged to protect the Amazon, faces conservative senator Flávio Bolsonaro. A Greenpeace Brazil expert said the region risked losing its leading voices on nature and climate. The report notes that Argentina's Javier Milei, Chile's José Antonio Kast and Colombia's new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, have favoured resource development over environmental measures.
Colombia's deputy environment minister, David Olarte Amaya, told AFP the worries were exaggerated and that his government remained engaged. The summit, which runs until 30 October, is trying to rescue a 2022 pledge to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030.
Source: Buenos Aires Times
