Brazil’s Lula talks climate at UN, but Amazon fires back home undermine his message

Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva opened the U.N. General Assembly with a call on the world to do more to combat climate change. He mentioned the fires ravaging the rainforest back home — but not the fact they’re adding to criticism of his administration’s own environmental stewardship. Enforcement has been hampered by a six-month strike at environmental regulator Ibama that ended in August — three months after his administration was aware of significantly heightened risk of fires amid the historic drought. And members of his Cabinet have presented conflicting views of environmental and energy policies.