Climate change: Brazil's Lula to return to world stage at COP27

Brazil's president-in-waiting Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is set to address the UN climate summit COP27 in Egypt, with expectations running high.

The election of the left-wing leader has been called the best news for the climate in 2022, as he promises to end deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.

Nations are meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss action to tackle climate change.

Lula is also meeting leaders including from US, China and EU.

There is a palpable sense of excitement at the visit of the newly elected Brazilian president to this summit.

Under President Jair Bolsonaro, who will hand over power to Lula in January, deforestation of the Amazon reached record highs.

A climate sceptic, Mr Bolsanaro accused NGOs of setting the Amazon on fire to embarrass his government, and he allowed illegal mining to expand in the Amazon, including on protected indigenous land.

Puyr Tembé, an indigenous leader from heavily deforested Pará state, told BBC News that Mr Bolsonaro completely dismantled laws protecting the Amazon and attacked environmental defenders.

By contrast, Lula has said he will try end deforestation and restore the Amazon.

On Tuesday US climate envoy John Kerry said he was confident Lula would bring a complete turnaround on climate in Brazil.

Former environment minister in Brazil Isabella Texeira told BBC News: "what has changed is the world is embracing Brazil at COP27 today".

Lula will have a warm welcome at COP27 but he faces a divided country at home, while significant opposition in the Brazilian Congress could make delivering on his promises difficult.

In order to make progress on his agenda, Ms Texeira said Lula would need to convince people and Congress members to agree, not disagree with each other.

"Brazil today disagrees. But we are rebuilding our democracy and we must not give up our responsibilities on climate change," she said.

Lula must reverse Mr Bolsonaro's legacy by rebuilding the environmental protection agencies, unfreezing the Amazon Fund, and tackling criminals in the Amazon, says Marcio Astrini, executive secretary of the Climate Observatory, a network of civil society groups.

He says Brazil is back in the climate game, but that civil society will not hesitate to challenge the new government it if fails to keep its promises.

"When the government is succeeding, we will support them, but if it fails, we will criticise them."

But it will not be easy for Lula to deliver on his ambitious pledges, suggests Roberto Waack, a business leader and chair of Arapyau Institute.

"The world needs to be prepared for mistakes or failures. It's a complicated problem and we will face disappointments because of the political situation in Brazil," he said.

"You can't just say stop deforestation and the next day the problem is solved," he said.

Young Brazilian activists at COP27 who met Lula privately at COP27 on Tuesday told BBC News that it was "amazing" to discuss the climate crisis with a president "who wants to solve the problem".

"It was hugely emotional, I cried a lot. It is unbelievable to feel part of Brazil again," said Gabrielle Alves, an environmental racism researcher who is part of the Clima de Mudanca coalition.

"It was amazing for us, including in the young black community, to meet our new president to talk about climate, something we've worked on for so long", said Vinicius Lopes.

Behind the scenes, negotiations between nations are ongoing at COP27 with a final agreement expected on Friday or Saturday.

However there are still wide divisions between countries on key issues.

The question of who will pay the bill for irreversible climate damage remains hotly-debated, as developing countries want finance urgently earmarked to cover their losses.

But developed nations are resisting any question of compensation to countries who historically caused the majority of emissions.

There is concern too that the crucial aim to limiting temperature rise to 1.5C - which scientists say is crucial to avoiding the worst effects of climate change - is in jeopardy.