Brazil has gone from being a model in environmental matters to becoming an international pariah, says Armínio Fraga.
The statement by former Central Bank president Armínio Fraga came a day after he, along with other former Central Bank presidents and former Finance Ministers, signed an open letter criticizing the environmental policy of Jair Bolsonaro's government.
247 - Former Central Bank president, economist, and businessman Armínio Fraga stated that Brazil has ceased to be an example in environmental matters and has become an international pariah during Jair Bolsonaro's government. According to a report in the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, Armínio also emphasized that Bolsonaro is resistant to science, which ultimately affects what he called the "animal spirits" of investors.
Fraga's statements were made this Wednesday (15) during a live broadcast organized by the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), one day after he and other former presidents of the Central Bank, as well as former Finance Ministers, signed a open letter criticizing the current government's environmental policy, and demanding the adoption of measures aimed at achieving a "zero deforestation" goal.
According to the economist, the new coronavirus pandemic arrived in Brazil at the end of a recession and an "erratic economic model." "Covid-19 caught us emerging from a huge recession with an erratic economic model, stuck with a 7% drop in GDP," he said. Armínio also noted that the pandemic exacerbated the unequal distribution of income in Brazil.