Marina Silva has left Brazil’s government (to make a presidential run?)

The UK Guardian today is reporting that longtime rainforest defender (and former RAN awardee) Marina Silva has resigned from Brazil’s ruling Worker’s party in protest over the current government’s willingness to sacrifice the rainforest for political gain.

In her resignation letter to the president of the Workers’ party, Silva said her decision was an attempt to break with the idea of “development based on material growth at any cost, with huge gains for a few and perverse results for the majority” including “the destruction of natural resources”.

This resignation leaves Silva’s path clear to run for president in 2010 at the head of the Green party. Maybe a great thing for the Amazon…