Brazil’s environmental governance is under threat – and Lula is siding with oil industry

 

 

"To the delight of the mining, construction and farming industries, the senate has passed a long-pending bill that strips a range of environmental licensing powers from Silva’s ministry. This piece of legislation – dubbed the devastation bill by opponents – allows companies to self-license or avoid environmental licensing for road construction, dam-building and other projects. It is a shift of control from the representatives of the people to the executives of big companies.

Lula could yet wield a veto on this bill. But so far the president’s response has been tepid. His party has a weak presence in congress, so he depends on a broad and fractious coalition, many of whose members are enmeshed in agribusiness or mining. Next year’s presidential election seems to be weighing on his mind more than November’s Cop30 climate summit in Belém."

READ ARTICLE By JONATHAN WATTS 

Brazil’s environmental governance is under threat – and Lula is siding with oil industry | Jonathan Watts | The Guardian