Political crisis in Brazil threatens science and the environment, says "Science"

From Deutsche Welle – In a pessimistic tone, an article published in the latest edition of the prestigious American magazine.ScienceHe believes that science and the environment in Brazil are "on the chopping block" and risk suffering setbacks in the face of the current crisis.

"A few weeks after the removal of President Dilma Rousseff, it is difficult to say what will happen to science and the environment," says the text, published last Friday (May 27). "In the midst of Brazil's political turmoil, scientists and environmentalists are wondering if they have an enemy in interim president Michel Temer."

An analysis by Science's Latin America correspondent, Lizzie Wade, indicates that the incorporation of the Communications portfolio into the former Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation is causing concern within the scientific community. At the same time, activists are reacting with apprehension to the approval of an amendment that would overturn the current environmental licensing process for large-scale projects.

“Days after taking power, he [the new interim government] merged the Ministries of Science and Communications, leaving researchers fearful of what will become of their already reduced budgets,” he writes. Meanwhile, “pro-development forces are pushing forward with a constitutional amendment that could accelerate the approval of dams, highways, mines, and other mega-projects.”

Temer's intention to cut government spending and boost business is generating apprehension in various sectors. "We are very concerned about these actions, which represent the degradation of science and innovation in the country," the president of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, Luiz Davidovich, told the magazine.

Environmental damage

According to ScienceThe proposed constitutional amendment that simplifies the licensing process for public works did not resurface on the Congressional agenda by accident. According to the researcher, parliamentarians are trying to force the approval of controversial issues that require lengthy discussion amidst the political chaos.

PEC 65/2012, authored by Senator Blairo Maggi (PR-MT) and approved by the Senate in April, stipulates that no construction project can be suspended or canceled after the developer submits a simple Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The amendment overturns the complex three-phase licensing process carried out by IBAMA and state agencies, which requires companies to take measures to compensate for environmental damage.

The project primarily affects the National Indian Foundation (Funai), the article states: "Without the chance to review and question the preliminary environmental impact documents, the agency [Funai] cannot guarantee the adoption of mitigation strategies to protect indigenous tribes."

Damage to science

Scientific development is also under threat from the reduction in the number of ministries and cuts in public spending, according to the assessment of... ScienceThe merger of the science and communications ministries has "frustrated" Brazilian scientists.

“Reversing the merger may not be enough to protect science funding,” writes Wade. “Even before Rousseff’s removal, the Brazilian scientific community had already been struggling with severe cuts; in 2015, Rousseff’s government cut the science ministry’s budget by 25%, and support for the acclaimed undergraduate scholarship program [Science Without Borders] weakened.”

Organizations sent a manifesto to Temer stating that the ministries are incompatible. "The merger would weaken the science, technology, and innovation sector, which is gaining importance in other countries," says the statement signed by the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC) and the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science (SBPC). Last week, scientists expressed their disapproval of the decision at a Senate hearing.

“The scientists should have cried out long ago. We have been experiencing a science blackout in Brazil for a long time,” Lygia Veiga Pereira, head of the National Laboratory of Embryonic Stem Cells at USP, tells DW Brazil. “The merger is not a good sign, because there is no justification for combining the two areas. But, in a scenario of crisis and budget cuts, this does not mean that science should be left aside.”

For the scientist, who is among the world's most renowned geneticists, the lack of political will to reduce bureaucracy and apply already available resources more efficiently are the main obstacles. According to Pereira, the interim government needs to recognize that, despite the deficit in the federal budget, scientific development plays a fundamental role in the country's economic growth.