Lula Announces Lower Deforestation Rates and Says U.S. Is Lying by Using Environment to Justify Tariffs on Brazil

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced on Thursday (11) a reduction in preliminary deforestation data for the Amazon and the Cerrado and said the United States is lying by using environmental issues as a justification for imposing tariffs on Brazilian products.According to the government, the Deter system shows a 37.5% drop in deforestation alerts in the Amazon over the past ten months and an 8.2% decline in the Cerrado, comparing the periods from August to May 2025 and 2026. For August alone, the reduction would be 61.4% in the Amazon and 12.2% in the Cerrado.

At the beginning of June, officials from Donald Trump’s administration proposed new tariffs on Brazilian products, citing deforestation in Brazil as one of the reasons. Lula compared the situation to the first round of U.S. tariffs, when the United States claimed there was a trade deficit with Brazil.

"We don’t want a fight, we want civility, trade and development for both countries," the president said.

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