In a manifesto, civil society organizations protest against the emptying of the Ministries of the Environment and Indigenous Peoples. The document condemns the opinion of a joint commission which approved the changes in the ministerial structure proposed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), emptying the ministries of the Environment (MMA) and Indigenous Peoples (MPI).
The text classifies the changes proposed during the examination of Provisional Provision (MP) 1.154/23, which reorganizes the ministerial structure, of “division of the environment” and asks deputies and senators to cancel the changes. The opinion approved by the Congress joint commission still needs to be approved by the plenary sessions of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
Among those who have signed the manifesto are environmental NGOs, representatives of indigenous peoples, social movements, universities, scientific societies, private sector bodies and corporate organisations.
The Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil (APIB), the Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica, the Instituto Democracia e Sustentabilidade (IDS), the Observatório do Clima and WWF Brasil are some of the signatories.
“Misconceptions”
“Voting in favor of these errors means supporting the reduction of Brazil’s ability to fight deforestation, to ensure the balance in the multiple use of water and to guarantee the effectiveness of the constitutional rights of indigenous peoples and the protection of human rights “, says the manifesto. .
“There is no administrative reason that justifies the dismemberment of the MMA and the reduction of power of the MPI”, adds the text.
The entities that have signed the document claim the return to the Ministry of the Environment of the management of the Rural Environmental Register (CAR), of the National Water Resources Management System (Singreh) and of the National Water and Basic Sanitary Services Agency ( ANA), as well as the return of the competence for the delimitation of indigenous lands to the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples.
“It is in no one’s interest that these errors thrive. We are counting on common sense and the public commitment of deputies and senators to reverse these problems,” the document reads.
weakened ministries
In evaluating MP 1.154/23, MPs weakened the Ministry of the Environment, removing important inspection functions from the portfolio led by environmentalist Marina Silva, such as the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the National Water Agency (ANA) .
Furthermore, the text also transferred the delimitation of indigenous lands from the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, of Sônia Guajajara, to the Ministry of Justice.
The article joins others criticized by environmentalists, such as the new health framework and, more recently, the clash between the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) and the Ministry of Mines and Energy over oil extraction from Petrobras at the mouth of the Amazon River, in Amapá.
In an interview with DW, environmentalist Pedro Roberto Jacobi, a full professor at USP’s Institute of Energy and Environment, a researcher at the Institute of Advanced Studies of the University of São Paulo (IEA/USP), and chair of the South American council of the Local Governments Institution for Sustainability (ICLEI), believes that the changes could compromise important government tools of environmental inspection.
md/lf (ots)
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
