The Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development mourns the untimely death of the environmentalist, journalist, former parliamentarian and writer Alfredo Helio Sirkis, this afternoon, in a car accident on Arco Metropolitano (BR-493), in Baixada Fluminense in Rio de Janeiro. Sirkis, 69, was on his way to a farm in Morro Azul, near Vassouras, to visit his mother, Lila, in social isolation due to the pandemic. Sirkis was a pioneer in the fight for environmental preservation in Brazil.
“I was very saddened by the news of the death of my friend and great figure Alfredo Sirkis. He exuded vitality and energy, and was absolutely tireless in his activism. Brazil has lost a restless environmentalist, always organizing ways to implement good ideas. Our last meeting, now virtual, was during the webinar in which he invited me to be with leading economists to talk about the recovery of the economy after COVID-19. I accepted with pleasure, it was an honor, but Sirkis did not invite, he summoned, he did not accept a refusal. He was authentic, controversial, true, and unifying. I will always remember the laughter with my friend and the enthusiasm when he thought about the country”, laments the president of CEBDS, Marina Grossi.
Between October 2016 and May 2019, he coordinated the Brazilian Forum on Climate Change (FBMC). He is currently the executive director of the Brazil Climate Center. Sirkis was a federal deputy, a city councilor for four terms in Rio de Janeiro, municipal secretary of Urbanism, municipal secretary of the Environment and president of the Pereira Passos Municipal Urbanism Institute (IPP).
Two weeks ago, Sirkis released an autobiography entitled “Decarbonário”, a book about the stories and behind the scenes of the issues surrounding climate change.
CEBDS expresses its deepest and most genuine condolences to his family and friends, and to those who had the opportunity to work with this great leader.
Sirkis, rest in peace! From this side, we will continue your fight!
Photo: Folhapress
