According to the president of the STF, Lula wanted to demonstrate his concern about possible “impunity” in the face of environmental crimes
The president of STF (Supreme Federal Court) stated this Monday (September 16, 2024) that the president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) called him to express concern about the possible “impunity” of people who are promoting arson in the country.
“The President of the Republic himself, who called me concerned about the impunity surrounding these intentional fires, while from here I ask the Judiciary and the judges to treat this crime with the seriousness it deserves to be treated”he stated.
Brazil is facing one of the worst periods of drought and fires in history. The country ended August with the worst number of fires in 14 years. There were 68,635 occurrences – the 5th highest in the historical series, which began in 1998. September, which is halfway through, has already accumulated almost the same amount, with 57,312 fires.
According to the minister, the problem faced by Brazil is largely influenced by illegal practices that, in addition to causing problems for biomes, also affect the health of the population. The smoke has covered 60% of the national territory.
“These are crimes that have become extremely serious. The Judiciary needs to give the seriousness of these issues the gravity they actually have. In the Cerrado, spontaneous fires can even occur exceptionally, but in the Pantanal and the Amazon, all fires are caused by human action and, therefore, involve deliberate criminal action.”he stated.
Barroso cited the decision by STF minister Flávio Dino that allowed, on Sunday (15.set), the federal government to open up extra spending outside the fiscal target for actions to combat fires. In the decision, the judge once again classified the situation experienced in the Amazon and the Pantanal as a “pandemic”.
Dino also allowed the immediate hiring of new firefighters for the Ibama (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) and for the ICMBio (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation).
Despite drawing attention to the importance of measures aimed at containing the damage caused by the fires, Barroso compared the movements to “changing the wheel while the car is moving”as authorities and government representatives are promoting the fight against climate emergencies as they unfold.
“The big problem is that we are trying to rearrange the house at the time when things are happening. Trying to change the tire while the car is moving”said the president of the STF.
Barroso’s statements were made during the minister’s participation in the 2nd meeting of the Judiciary’s Environmental and Climate Change Observatory for the 2023-2025 cycle. The meeting, which was brought forward due to recent environmental developments, brought together experts in the field and the president of the STJ (Superior Court of Justice), Herman Benjamin.
In his speech, Barroso mentioned some initiatives of the Judiciary that had been adopted by courts to minimize environmental impacts – such as the installation of photovoltaic plants in the STF and the signing of the Pact for Ecological Transformation, signed between the Three Powers. However, the minister defends the decarbonization of the Brazilian judiciary.
The minister also called on Brazilian courts to send the Council suggestions for projects aimed at decarbonizing the Judiciary,” an idea defended by the minister. The request comes amid a context of climate crisis in Brazil, with the increasing number of fires that have already totaled 1,795 outbreaks around the country.
“I would like to call on Brazilian courts to prepare and send proposals to the CNJ with decarbonization projects, including a carbon inventory, the measurement of the reduction in energy consumption, and the compensation measures they intend to adopt,” he said, calling for other courts to get involved in the initiative.
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