Brasilia, December 18 (EFE).- A judge of Brazil’s Supreme Court annulled in a precautionary fashion a decree by President Jair Bolsonaro. It dismantled a council of representatives of civil society and was intended to protect the environment.
Judge Rosa Weber’s decision was published this Saturday and nullifies the decree, issued in 2019, which reduced the number of members of the National Environment Council (Conama) from 96 to 23 and left civil society without representation in that governmental entity.
Conama’s main attributions include the development of standards for the protection of ecosystems and the definition of criteria for caring for the environment.
After Bolsonaro’s decree, that body became formed only by businessmen linked to agriculture and government officials appointed by the Presidency, which resulted in a series of measures denounced by environmental groups for their severe environmental impact.
One of these was a resolution which annulled all regulations protecting mangroves & dunes and opened up the possibility of tourist projects and hotels being built in these sensitive areas.
That controversial decision by Conama was also annulled by the Supreme Court, which last month called it “unconstitutional.”
Bolsonaro’s aggressive policies for the environment have been denounced by environmental organizations, which attribute to the government’s decisions the historic rates of deforestation and the increase in fires in the Amazon registered since the far-right leader assumed power.
A number of European countries are questioning the ratification of the free-trade agreement announced by the European Union (EU), Mercosur (Argentina Brazil Paraguay and Uruguay) in 2019. This is due to the Amazon’s increasing destruction.
Millionaire private companies and international funds have also warned the Government that they will be reducing their investments in the country if the government does not show a real commitment to protecting our environment.
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