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LatinNews Daily - 03 December 2018

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Environmental protection not a priority for Brazil’s Bolsonaro

Development: On 1 December, Brazil’s President-elect Jair Bolsonaro reaffirmed his criticism of environmental protection policies which he sees as being detrimental to the country’s agricultural industry and national sovereignty.  

Significance: Bolsonaro’s oft-repeated attacks on the Paris Agreement and on so-called “environmental radicalism” in Brazil puts him at odds with the international community’s commitment to combating climate change and its effects, a commitment reinforced by heads of state, including incumbent President Michel Temer, at the G-20 summit in Argentina last week.

  • Bolsonaro’s position has attracted criticism from France’s President Emmanuel Macron, who said last week that France would not sign deals with countries that do not support the Paris Agreement, in reference to the trade deal currently being negotiated between the European Union (EU) and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur). Bolsonaro responded to this on 30 November by saying that Brazil should be prudent before signing any new trade deals. He had earlier tweeted that “Automatically subjecting our territory, laws and sovereignty to the positioning of other nations is out of the question”.
  • Bolsonaro blames the international community for pressuring Brazil to create ever more protected areas and indigenous territories in the Amazon, policies which he says damage the country’s national interests as they negatively affect the agribusiness sector and represent an attack on Brazil’s sovereignty. Bolsonaro declared himself to be in favour of protecting the environment, but not under the current system which he calls “radical” and says pits the environment and agriculture ministries against each other.
  • While speaking to the press on 1 December, Bolsonaro said that a “mean and stingy policy” favouring protection of indigenous territories and the environment has prevented Brazil from reaching its full potential as “a great nation”, and that he will change this.  
  • Bolsonaro’s position on environmental protection policies is also at odds with that of the country’s environmental NGOs and agribusiness sector. ‘Coalização Brasil Clima, Florestas e Agricultura’, a group which brings together academics, environmentalists and agribusiness representatives, argues that agricultural activity and environmental protection must go hand-in-hand. The group warns that if Brazil turns its back on its international commitments to sustainability, this will damage its image both abroad and at home.

Looking Ahead: Brazil has an overall good track record for its commitment to environmental protection and containing global warming, and Bolsonaro’s threats to backtrack on this are a cause for concern. Bolsonaro has been known to reverse decisions when faced with opposition from influential groups, and he will most likely come under pressure if his controversial discourse translates into policy after he and his yet-to-be-announced environment minister take office on 1 January 2019.

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