Indigenous peoples must have a voice in the debate on rare earth exploration, says Marina Silva.
Minister emphasizes that technical decisions cannot ignore the ethical commitment to indigenous, quilombola, and traditional communities.
247 - The Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, stated this Saturday (16) that indigenous peoples need to be heard in the global debate on the exploitation of rare earths. The statement was made after her participation in the 60th training for new climate leaders, held in Rio de Janeiro by the Climate Reality Project, founded by former US Vice President Al Gore. The information is from Valor Econômico.
Rare earth elements—a group of 17 chemical elements fundamental to cutting-edge technologies such as semiconductors, wind turbines, solar panels, and defense systems—are at the heart of the dispute over strategic resources. In Brazil, many areas of interest for exploration coincide with indigenous and quilombola territories, which makes the discussion even more delicate.
Right to consultation guaranteed by Lula
Marina Silva recalled that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva vetoed sections of Bill 2159/2021, which restricted the right of traditional communities to express their opinions in environmental licensing processes.
“The decision and vetoes made by President Lula removed the right of expression for indigenous peoples, quilombola communities, and traditional communities in any undertaking related to their lands. The veto was precisely to allow these populations to have the right to express their opinions from the very first report by Funai or the Palmares Foundation,” the minister explained.
She emphasized that the exploration of strategic minerals cannot proceed without considering the ethical and cultural impact.
“Any technical solution cannot be devoid of ethical consideration for those who have a different lifestyle, who help protect natural resources and balance the planet. Their ways of life and worldview cannot be destroyed by our production and consumption patterns,” he emphasized.
Prior consent and risks of internal division
When questioned about the possibility of co-management between indigenous peoples and private companies in the exploitation of rare earth elements, Marina Silva emphasized that Convention 169 of the International Labour Organization (ILO) guarantees the right to prior, free and informed consent of the affected communities.
“Any process has to take these communities into account; they must be informed beforehand and have to give their consent. You can't simply create mechanisms that sometimes divide communities, because there will always be some kind of division,” he warned.
The minister also argued that the debate should not be driven solely by the logic of global demand for strategic minerals, but should incorporate an ethical criterion in the supply.
"The goal is to look not only at the need from the demand side, but also to have an ethical filter from the supply side," he concluded.
International context and COP30
The event that brought Marina Silva together is part of the “Reality Tour,” a global series organized by the Climate Reality Project to mobilize leaders in defense of climate action. The training cycle aims to strengthen pressure for concrete commitments before COP30, which will be held in Belém in 2025.
