Brazil’s environmental movement is under threat – and Lula is siding with oil industry | Jonathan Watts

PThe next bullying is rarely brutal as it was in Brazil this week when the Minister of Environment Marina Silva was exposed to a meeting in the Senate. The tormentors-all the white male politicians in the infrastructure committee-directed to publicly bring the 67-year-old black woman, who did more than anyone else to protect the country’s natural wealth- Amazon rain forestsThe wetland Pantanal, Serado Savana and other vital neighborhoods – from bold abuse.

One by one, they lined up to attack these important efforts worldwide. Decor gave the way to call the names and ridicule: “Know your place”, the committee chairman, Marcus Rogerio, chanted Bolsonar, who cut off a microphone Silva while trying to respond. The leader of the Raysbid Center, Blinio Valeu, told her that she does not deserve respect as a minister. Senator Amazon Omar Aziz – of the Centro Party and the President of the President Lula – spoke over it.

Their motives appear partially, partially for women, and are largely interested. All of them were trying to impose economic projects – roads, oil fields, dams, or farms – which are subject to scrutiny by the Ministry of Environment in Silva. Do not care that this is her job, as they seemed to say, how dare not allow them to get their path?

But she dared. Despite weak physical fitness, a combat silver. She was born in the Amazon rain forests, helped find the Labor Party alongside Lula during the era of the military dictatorship. She carried out a campaign against forest removal alongside Chico Mendes, which was assassinated in 1988. In her first period of the Environment Minister, between 2003 and 2008, she established a monitoring and environment system that said forest reduction by 80 %. Later, she ran as head of the Green Party, where she got nearly 20 million votes – more than any other green candidate in world history. Twelve years ago, she established its own party – the sustainability network.

Silva refused to tolerate abuse and silence, and came out of the Senate meeting. Outside, when she finally had an opportunity to speak, she operated her torments: “My place is the place to defend democracy, my place is the place to defend the environment, combat inequality, sustainable development, protection of biological diversity, and infrastructure projects necessary for the country.” “What is unacceptable is that someone thinks because you are a woman, black, and come from a modest background, that you will say who I am and still say that I must stay in my place. My place is the place where all women should be.”

This version was reported from what happened widely in the Brazilian media, but it only tells part of the story. What is missing – and most importantly – is the reason that the package of Senators felt that Silva was at risk. This is because during the past few days, it took it had not been for the oil industry aspect instead of the Amazon rain forests, then – and not by chance – the Brazilian environmental movement suffered one of the largest legislative defeats in its history.

In the middle of everything, there is a long -term row on oil exploration in Foz Do Amazonas. The French company BP and the French company Oil Total used to maintain most of these rights, but they wandered in the political and environmental challenge of drilling near the largest biological diversity center in the world. Instead, the government oil company in Brazil, Petrobras. For Lula – and Senate members in nearby areas – this means potential sounds, jobs and export profits. The only thing on their way was the Ministry of Environment, which was delayed for years due to the risks of potential spin in such an environmentally sensitive area.

The handbraft was raised earlier this week, when the head of the environmental organizer, Ebama, ignored 29 experts from experts by moving to the next stage of the approval process in Foz Do Amazonas. this Surrender I followed the pressure from Congress and the president.

This was followed by the largest legislative setback for the environment for more than 40 years. To the joy of mining, construction and agriculture industries, The Senate passed a long -term draft law This raises a set of environmental licensing powers from the Ministry of Silva. This legislation-which is called opponents on the draft law of destruction by opponents, allows companies by self-pressure or avoiding environmental licensing to build roads and building dams and other projects. It has turned in control of the representatives of the persons to the executives of the major companies.

If not you could do the right to veto this law. But so far The president’s response was lost. His party has a weak presence in Congress, so it depends on a wide and shrink alliance, and many of their organs are immersed in agricultural work or mining. It seems that the presidential elections for the next year are in his mind more than the COP30 climate summit in November in Bilim.

In the wake of the attacks on Silva by the Senate Infrastructure Committee, it came without publicly to its defense. He said that she was right to go out in the face of a lot of provocation. But he did not face his responsibility for leaving her open. He also did not face the contradictions of his promise Zero the removal of forests by 2030 And his support for clearly incompatible projects, such as digging oil off the Amazon coast, which is the promotional BR319 road that would open the forest between Manus and Puerto Felho to the largest clearance activities, and a new railway that would increase pressure for more soybeans.

At the Amazon Summit in Belim two years ago, he refused to participate in the calls of Colombian President Gustavo Petro to a rainy forest of fossil. Soon after, in COP28 in Dubai, his government shocked many of its supporters by announcing that it will join Opec+ Oil Cartel. It can argue that if this is pragmatic because Brazil depends on oil sales to get an increasing share of gross domestic product. Realpolitik is likely to be clear at the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro in July, where Brazilian President will rub the shoulders with the eleventh China from China, Vladimir Putin, and Narringra Modi in India and other world leaders.

Lula Marina Silva threw under the cement mixer once before in 2008, when she had to leave his second government in the second term because many ministers saw her as a traction on economic development. He may feel a retreat from doing this again before COP30, because it knows that it is vital to the credibility of Brazil’s environmental in the eyes of most of the world, and he does not want his country to return to the Pozonaro situation during the years of Bolsonaro. But the sand is turning and it seems that if not for sure of its foot.

His base – the working class and the poor – already suffers from the weight of climate effects. South Brazil has been removed due to the destroyed floods. the North Amazon has been exposed through drought and standard fires.

Civil society and progressive thinkers – who were usually supported if it had not been active – was more active than the president in opposing the draft law of destruction and defense of the Minister of Environment on social media, as many public figures published support messages “The marina is not alone.”

But like many other centered leaders in the world, had it not been for struggle in the Trump era, from right and warm extremism, from geopolitical reorganization and companies ’retreat on the environment. As Silva showed, it takes courage to confront these forces. I often stood without her side in that battle, but does he still have a stomach and a tendency to continue?