Brazil
55ConcerningThe Amazon's steward and the Global South's loudest voice.
Sixth-most-populous country, with the planetary infrastructure called the Amazon under its jurisdiction, oscillating between Lula's BRICS-and-climate diplomacy and a Bolsonaro-aligned bench that has not given up.
What the index reads for this country
Six axes specific to country-level pressure: war involvement, climate burden, mental-health load, press freedom, polarisation, inequality. Each scored 0 to 10.
How the country sees itself, how the world sees it
Hand-curated paraphrases of the dominant framings drawn from named outlets on each side. Not journalism; an attempt to make the gap visible so the reader can hold both at once.
Convening power of the Global South, hosting COP30 in Belém, reducing Amazon deforestation by ~half since 2022, the world's largest agricultural exporter learning to do it without burning the rainforest.
“A planet without the Amazon will not be a planet anyone here recognises.”
A swing democracy that nearly fell to a Trump-style insurrection in January 2023 and still has not fully reckoned with it, while its agribusiness lobby fights every forest protection in court.
“Brazilian democracy survived 8 January 2023; whether the next attempt finds it weaker or stronger is unclear.”