CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: But there's another issue at stake in this election that could have consequences far beyond Brazil's borders. That's the environment. You know, Brazil is home to much of the Amazon rainforest, a vast store of carbon that plays a critical role in regulating the global climate. Yet, on the presidential campaign trail, environmental issues have largely taken a backseat to voters' more immediate concerns. Let's listen to Julia Carneiro.
EZEQUIEL GOMES: (Speaking Portuguese).
JULIA CARNEIRO, BYLINE: On a sunny morning, flowers, fresh fish and tropical fruit fill the stalls of a bustling farmers market in Rio.
GOMES: (Speaking Portuguese).
CARNEIRO: At one stall, vendor Ezequiel Gomes (ph) is selling cassava. I ask what's on his mind as he decides how to vote.
GOMES: (Speaking Portuguese).
CARNEIRO: He doesn't hesitate - healthcare, education, security.
(Speaking Portuguese).
CARNEIRO: And what about the environment? Does he worry about that, too?
GOMES: (Speaking Portuguese).
CARNEIRO: He pauses. "The environment," he says. It's something he's never really thought about.
GOMES: No.
CARNEIRO: He's voting for Flavio Bolsonaro because he likes change.
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CARNEIRO: Shopping at a poultry stall, Cristiana Bittencourt (ph) says the environment is at the top of her agenda.
CRISTIANA BITTENCOURT: (Speaking Portuguese).
CARNEIRO: Wearing red in support of President Lula, she says, "Brazil must protect the Amazon, especially after the Jair Bolsonaro years."
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MARY LOUISE KELLY: The world is increasingly worried about the future of the Amazon rainforest.
CARNEIRO: Four years ago, former President Jair Bolsonaro was making headlines over his environmental record.
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JUANA SUMMERS: Bolsonaro has spent the past four years encouraging logging, mining and ranching in the Amazon rainforest.
CARNEIRO: His government faced widespread opposition as deforestation surged and environmental agencies were weakened. Under Lula, climate action and multilateralism returned to the agenda. Environmental enforcement was restored, and deforestation in the Amazon fell sharply. But Lula's environmental record has also drawn criticism, especially over his government's decision to pursue oil exploration near the mouth of the Amazon River.
MARCIO ASTRINI: Look, Lula's government - there are a lot of contradictions inside the Lula's government but also a lot of achievements that must be recognized.
CARNEIRO: Marcio Astrini heads the Brazilian Climate Observatory, a network of 170 civil society groups that have analyzed the candidates' government plans. Astrini fears Flavio Bolsonaro would follow his father's playbook.
ASTRINI: We are really concerned to have, again, this kind of hell to the climate agenda that we face along the Bolsonaro's agenda.
CARNEIRO: Around 90% of Brazilians link extreme weather to climate change, according to a Climate Observatory survey. But that concern doesn't necessarily translate into votes.
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UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR: (Speaking Portuguese).
CARNEIRO: This initiative was created to help make this match. Vote for Climate is a platform that connects voters with more than 300 candidates running for Congress on climate action platforms.
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UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR: (Speaking Portuguese).
(CROSSTALK)
CARNEIRO: At the Lula rally in Rio, I met one of the candidates featured on the platform - City Councilor Taina de Paula. She's running for federal MP with the Workers' Party.
TAINA DE PAULA: (Speaking Portuguese).
CARNEIRO: She says the election is a chance to put climate on the political agenda and wants to get a chance to challenge the conservative BBB caucus in Congress, standing for bull, bullet and Bible.
DE PAULA: (Speaking Portuguese).
CARNEIRO: "I like to joke that I will be part of the CCC caucus, for city, culture and climate," she says. "If we elect enough lawmakers, we'll be able to beat them."
UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: (Speaking Portuguese).
(CHEERING)
CARNEIRO: But with climate competing against more immediate concerns, getting voters to put it at the top of the agenda may be a harder task. For NPR News, I'm Julia Carneiro in Rio. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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