On Wednesday, thousands of protestors will gather in Brazil’s capital after Caetano Velozo, one of Brazil’s most prominent musicians, called for a major protest to decry what environmentalists call an historic assault on Brazil’s environment under President Jair Bolsonaro.
The Ato pela Terra (Stand for the EarthBrasilians are protesting against what activists call a death combination of five environmental-related bills being considered in Brazil’s Congress.
Three of the bills will be voted on by the Senate in the coming weeks. Two bills will be voted on in the lower House.
If approved, the proposals would allow commercial mining on indigenous lands, jeopardize land rights of tens to thousands of indigenous people, and loosen environmental licensing requirements over pesticide use. They also boost land grabbers and illegal loggers within the Amazon, where deforestation rates have soared under Brazil’s far-right president.
Each of these bills robs Brazilians from a piece of the future, protest organizers stated in a statement. They lament the incessant attack against the environment that followed Bolsonaros’ 2018 election.
They added that Brazil will be one of the most dangerous climate pariahs if this package of bills is approved.
Veloso will be joined by other celebrities at the rally outside congress, including Emicida, Lzaro Ramos, the actor, and Daniela Mercury, who urged citizens not to support legislation that could pose a clear threat the environment.
The songwriter, who is 79 years old, said that it was time to get out there and show our faces.
I am optimistic about Brazil’s future. Veloso stated that he is taking action to foster something here, something that might be enlightening the world. It is difficult to hold on to this mindset right now.
Ana Carolina Tessmann is a 31-year old teacher who said she would march against the worst and most cruel moments in Brazilian history. Tessmann stated that she understands that participating in these protests is her obligation as a citizen.
Protesters hope that lawmakers will reject or modify bills supported by the powerful agribusiness lobby in order to address concerns about the climate emergency as well as the traditional populations who have been affected by environmental destruction.
We want to hear your story [congress]We won’t accept this. If some of these bills are passed, they will spell out our destruction,” said Txai Suuru, 25, an indigenous activist hailing from Rondnia (an Amazon state that is a hotspot for deforestation).
Marcio Atrini, an environmentalist, is one of the event organizers. He warned of the potential for devastating consequences for Brazil’s environment and the global atmosphere.
Astrini (executive director of Climate Observatory) stated that the protests message was: Do not vote for these bills in the current form. They are a disaster.
They are a disaster for the country, the environment, and our international reputation. They also put at risk the survival of the Amazon, and the Paris Agreement targets.
Environmentalists fear that if these bills become law, they will make Bolsonaros antienvironmental policies law for years to follow, even if he is not elected to a second term.
According to polls, Bolsonaro will lose the October election to his leftwing rival Luiz Infio Lula da Silva. He has appalled many voters by his anti-scientific handling a Covid pandemic that claimed more than 650,000 Brazilians’ lives. Astrini warned that the environment could have suffered long-term damage by now.
Even if we make Brazil’s president more environmentally-friendly, these are still important issues. [new]He said that rules would make it difficult to combat environmental crime.
It would be like taking all the harm done by government today and ensuring that it continues to cause harm and deforestation for many years and decades.
