Brazil businesses lean on government to shift climate stance

By FRANK JORDANS and DÉBORA ÁLVARES
Associated Press

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Powerful businesses are urging Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro to give up the country’s long-standing resistance on key issues at this year’s U.N. climate talks. The head of the CEBDS business group argues that Brazil can’t afford to pass up the chance to use its vast natural wealth in the Amazon in the fight against global warming. The group has called upon the government to clamp down on illegal deforestation and ease its hardline stance over carbon markets. Those demands appeared to be bearing fruit at the U.N. talks in Glasgow. Brazil’s shifting stance there has raised cautious hopes for breaking long-running deadlock on several climate issues this week.