The Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, took office this Wednesday (4.jan.2023) in a ceremony held at the Planalto Palace. She declared that Brazil will honor international commitments in the climate and environmental areas. She also reaffirmed the goal of “zero deforestation” in the country by announcing the creation of the Extraordinary Secretariat for the Control of Deforestation and Territorial Environmental Planning.
“When we reach zero deforestation, there will no longer be a secretariat […] This secretary knows that his success rate will be measured on the day that President Lula extinguishes the secretariat. We are all going to work so that he loses this job, which is not the easiest, and that our president wins the Nobel Peace Prize“, said.
Marina stated that the president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) will chair a council on climate security. He also said that by March the government should create the national climate authority body, proposed by the transition team.
“By March of this year, the creation of a national climate security authority will be formalized within the scope of the Ministry of the Environment, in addition to the creation of a council on climate change to be chaired by the President of the Republic himself and with the participation of all ministries.”, he declared.
The name to preside over the climate authority body has yet to be defined, but the minister has already expressed the desire for someone with a technical profile, who is able to participate in high-level negotiations with other countries.
In her inauguration speech, Marina made several criticisms of the measures taken by the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL). According to her, in the previous administration, Brazil came to be seen as a “environmental pariah”. The minister stated that employees of environmental agencies were persecuted and that “climate change policy has been completely deflated”.
“Boiadas took place in a place where only environmental protection policies should be held”, said Marina.
She also celebrated the return of organs to the ministry’s purview, such as the A-N-A (National Water and Basic Sanitation Agency) and the Brazilian Forest Service. Among the ministry’s priorities is the “emphasis on the role of traditional peoples and communities”.
Ceremony
Marina Silva’s inauguration ceremony was one of the most attended. The event had a queue of people to enter the Palácio do Planalto and the Great Hall was filled to capacity. The national anthem was performed by singer Myrlla Muniz.
Watch (1min10s):
Marina was applauded several times during the speech.
More than 1,000 people were expected to participate. The ceremony would have been held at the CCBB (Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil), but was transferred to Planalto.
At the event, the Minister of the Civil House, Rui Costa, said in a speech that the environmental issue will be treated in a “transverse” in government. He said that representatives of the Ministry of the Environment will be invited to participate in the development of future government projects, so that they are already prepared with the “conception of environmental sustainability”.
In her speech, the Minister of Women, Cida Gonçalves, mentioned female representation in the new government. “We are 11 women in this ministry, never in the history of this country have there been so many women in charge of portfolios and important folders“, said.
Who is Marina Silva?
Marina Silva is 64 years old and a former senator from Acre (1995-2011). She was elected federal deputy for São Paulo in 2022. She received 237,526 votes. Previously, she was Minister of the Environment between 2003 and 2008 during Lula’s first governments.
She was also a candidate for the Presidency of the Republic 3 times, in 2010, 2014 and 2018. Illiterate until she was 16, Marina graduated in history from UFAC (Federal University of Acre) in 1994.
The former minister, who had a strained relationship with the PT since the 2014 election, announced on September 12, 2022 support for Lula in the presidential race. The alliance was the result of a rapprochement process that involved several nods from the PT party.
Measurements
The first decrees signed by President Lula included a group of measures involving the environmental area. Among them, the revocation of mining permits in indigenous and environmental protection areas.
Lula also signed a decree on the regulation of the National Environmental Fund and the resumption of the Amazon Fund, a mechanism that captures donations for preservation projects and inspection of the biome.
The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, announced on Sunday (1st. Jan) that the country will donate € 35 million (R$ 202 million at this Wednesday’s quotation) to the fund.
The amount announced by Steinmeier had been frozen since 2019, when former President Jair Bolsonaro and then Minister of the Environment, Ricardo Sallessuspended the operation of the Fund.
In November 2022, the STF (Federal Supreme Court) determined the reactivation of the Fund within 60 days. The Court analyzed the action filed by PSB, Psol, PT and Rede. The parties claimed that the federal government had failed to manage resources.
The 2023 Budget approved by Congress frees from the spending ceiling donations and revenues to federal universities, scientific institutions and socio-environmental projects, which include donations from the Amazon Fund, for example.
The budget proposal still awaits sanction. projects a deficit (negative balance in public accounts) of R$231.5 billion. It is equivalent to 2% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product).
ministerial structure
Read the structure of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. Here’s the full of the decree signed by Lula (300 KB).
- Cabinet;
- Social Participation and Diversity Advice;
- Special Adviser on Parliamentary and Federative Affairs;
- Special Adviser on Social Communication;
- Special Adviser on International Affairs;
- Special Advice on Internal Control;
- Internal Affairs;
- Ombudsman;
- Legal advice; and
- Executive Secretary: Undersecretary of Planning, Budget and Administration; Department of Planning and Strategic Management; Department of Management of Funds and External Resources; Department of Environmental Education and Citizenship; and Department of Support to Conama (National Council for the Environment) and to Sisnama (National System for the Environment);
Singular specific bodies:
- National Secretariat for Biodiversity, Forests and Animal Rights: Department of Forestry; Department of Protection, Defense and Animal Rights; Department of Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity; and Department of Protected Areas;
- National Secretariat for the Urban Environment and Environmental Quality: Department of Urban Environment; Waste Management Department; and Department of Environmental Quality;
- National Secretariat for Climate Change: Department of Support to the National Council for Climate Change and the Interministerial Committee on Climate Change; Department of Mitigation Policies, Adaptation and Implementation Instruments; and Department of Ocean and Coastal Management;
- National Secretariat of Bioeconomy: Department of Bioeconomy Stimulus Policies; Department of Shared Management of Fishery Resources; and Department of Genetic Heritage;
- National Secretariat for Traditional Peoples and Communities and Sustainable Rural Development: Department of Socio-environmental Management and Traditional Peoples and Communities; Department of Rural Environmental Management Policies; Department of Revitalization of Hydrographic Basins, Access to Water and Multiple Use of Water Resources; and Department for Combating Desertification;
- Extraordinary Secretariat for the Control of Deforestation and Territorial Environmental Planning: Department of Deforestation and Burning Control Policies; and Department of Territorial Environmental Planning;
- Brazilian Forest Service: Directorate of Forest Concession and Monitoring; Directorate of Forest Promotion; Board of Rural Environmental Regularization; and Board of Planning, Budget and Administration;
Collegiate bodies:
- Conama;
- Deliberative Council of the National Environment Fund;
- CGen (Genetic Heritage Management Council);
- Conaflor (National Forest Commission);
- Steering Committee of the National Fund on Climate Change;
- CNCD (National Commission to Combat Desertification);
- Management Committee of the FNRB (National Fund for Benefit Sharing);
- Conaveg (National Commission for the Recovery of Native Vegetation;
- National Commission for REDD+ (Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, Conservation of Forest Carbon Stocks, Sustainable Management of Forests and Increase of Forest Carbon Stocks);
- National Biodiversity Commission;
- National Water Resources Council;
- Commission for the Management of Public Forests;
- CNMC (National Council on Climate Change).
Related entities:
- Ibama (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources);
- Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation;
- JBRJ (Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Research Institute);
- ANA (National Water and Basic Sanitation Agency).
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