News in cooperation with eceee.org

Bolsonaro’s attack on the Amazon breaches Brazil’s constitution, climate lawyers argue

(Climate Home News, 18 Nov 2020) Climate campaigners are taking the Brazilian government to the Supreme Court, arguing its deforestation record breaches constitutional protections for the Amazon and future generations as well as international commitments.

The environmentalists are seeking a court order on the government to reduce deforestation by 60% in 2021, in line with the national policy on climate change. If this target is missed, campaigners say deforestation should stop completely for a year.

In 2019, the Brazilian government abandoned its main anti-deforestation plan, known as PPCDAm. In the same year, president Jair Bolsonaro’s first full year in office, there was a 34% increase in deforestation.

The NGOs bringing the case argue that the scrapping of PPCDAm breached the Brazilian constitution. Article 225  states “all have the right to an ecologically balanced environment” and says the government has a duty to “defend and preserve it for present and future generations”.

External link

Climate Home News, 18 Nov 2020: Bolsonaro’s attack on the Amazon breaches Brazil’s constitution, climate lawyers argue