Alfredo Sirkis (1950–2020): A Life of Courage, Vision and Action

Alfredo Sirkis lived a life that defied easy categorization. A firebrand student activist turned guerrilla fighter, exiled journalist, pioneering environmentalist, and respected politician—Sirkis was a man whose passions and convictions drove him to constantly evolve and take on new challenges in service of creating a more just and sustainable world.

Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1950 to Polish Jewish immigrants, young Alfredo developed an early appetite for literature and politics. By 17, he was leading student protests against Brazil's military dictatorship. His activism soon escalated to armed resistance as part of the Revolutionary Vanguard (VPR), participating in high-profile kidnappings of foreign diplomats to secure the release of political prisoners.

Forced into exile in 1971, Sirkis reinvented himself as a journalist, reporting from Chile during Allende's government and subsequent coup, then working in Argentina, France and Portugal. These years abroad broadened his worldview and exposed him to emerging environmental movements that would define his future.

Returning to Brazil after the 1979 amnesty, Sirkis threw himself into environmental activism. He co-founded Brazil's Green Party in 1986, bringing a pragmatic, coalition-building approach that helped establish green politics as a serious force in the country. His 1992 campaign slogan as a Rio city council candidate, "An ecologist in the carioca way", captured his unique ability to blend environmentalism with local cultural identity.

As Rio's Environment Secretary in the early 1990s, Sirkis pioneered programs like community reforestation of favelas and the city's first major bike lane network—initiatives that seemed radical at the time but are now widely emulated. His stint as Urban Planning Secretary in the 2000s focused on revitalizing Rio's port area, laying groundwork for what would become a showcase project for the 2016 Olympics.

Sirkis served as a Federal Deputy from 2011-2015, where he chaired the Joint Commission on Climate Change. He was a fixture at UN climate conferences, working tirelessly to position Brazil as a leader in sustainable development. In his final role as Executive Secretary of the Brazilian Climate Change Forum, he helped shape the country's implementation of the Paris Agreement.

In 2015, Sirkis founded the think tank Centro Brasil no Clima, further cementing his role as a key figure in Brazil's climate policy landscape. Throughout his career, he maintained a close friendship with American environmental leader Al Gore, collaborating on numerous international initiatives.

Sirkis was also a prolific writer. His memoir "Os Carbonários" (The Carbonari) won Brazil's prestigious Jabuti literary prize and remains a classic account of the resistance against the dictatorship. Other notable works included "Roleta Chilena" about his exile years, and "Ecologia Urbana e Poder Local" on urban environmental management.

Alfredo Sirkis died in a car accident on July 10, 2020, en route to visit his then 96-year-old mother. He left behind his wife, his three children, and a legacy of tireless work toward environmental and social progress that continues to inspire activists and policymakers in Brazil and beyond.

As Sérgio Xavier, former Secretary of Environment of Pernambuco and longtime friend, said in tribute: "He will always be an inspiration of courage and commitment to democracy and the environment."