IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute) repudiates the approval of Bill 2.159/2021 by the brazilian Chamber of Deputies. The text dismantles the pillars of environmental licensing and weakens the state’s ability to prevent damage to the environment.
In practice, the new law reduces requirements for a series of potentially impacting activities, such as infrastructure works, road maintenance and agricultural facilities. It also allows states to make the rules even more flexible, creating a scenario of fragmentation and legal uncertainty.
“At a time when Brazil is preparing for one of the most important events for the future of humanity, COP30 in Belém, our Congress is presenting us with an agenda that goes against our global leadership: a bill that uses the correct pretext of simplification to make the environmental licensing process in Brazil less transparent and more risky for the environment,” says André Guimarães, executive director of IPAM.
More than a step backwards, this is a decision that could have long-lasting effects: an increase in deforestation, an attack on the rights of indigenous and traditional communities, greater exposure to environmental tragedies and a weakening of Brazil’s international credibility on climate issues.
By dispensing with prior consultation with indigenous peoples, disregarding robust technical criteria and prioritizing speed over risk analysis, the text breaks with basic principles of good environmental governance.
Furthermore, the approval of the text comes at a time when the country is working to reposition itself as a leader in the climate and biodiversity agenda.