Brazilian lawmakers have passed a bill that significantly weakens the country's environmental safeguards, described by activists as the biggest setback to environmental legislation in 40 years. The legislation, widely referred to as the 'devastation bill', was approved in the early hours of Thursday by 267 votes to 116, despite opposition from over 350 organisations and social movements.
The bill now goes to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has 15 working days to approve or veto it. However, even if he vetoes, the predominantly conservative congress is likely to overturn that decision, potentially leading to a legal battle in the supreme court, as experts argue the law is unconstitutional.
A key criticised provision allows projects with 'medium' polluting potential to obtain environmental licences via a self-declared online form, bypassing prior impact studies and regulatory review. Suely Araújo of the Climate Observatory said this would affect about 90% of licensing procedures, including for mining and agriculture, creating a 'self-licensing' system.
The law also limits the say of agencies protecting Indigenous and quilombola (maroon) community rights to officially recognised territories, excluding over 30% of Indigenous lands and more than 80% of quilombola areas awaiting titling. Dinamam Tuxá of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil called it 'the legalisation of a process of extermination'.
Activists have criticised the Lula administration for not doing enough to prevent the bill's passage. Environment Minister Marina Silva described it as 'the burial of environmental licensing'. The law comes just months before Brazil hosts COP30 in the Amazon, creating embarrassment for a country seen as a potential environmental leader.
