On Amazon Day, environmentalists hold Bolsonaro responsible for the devastation.
There is little to celebrate in the face of increased deforestation and the anti-environmental rhetoric delivered by the president and his allies.
Julia Pereira, Radio Brasil Today - Amazon Day, celebrated this Monday (5), was established in 2007 by Law 11.621. Despite the milestone, there is little to celebrate on this date, as the biome has been the victim of a devastating policy in recent years. Between July 2020 and August 2021, for example, deforestation in the region had already exceeded 13 square kilometers. The highest rate since 2006.
The devastation intensified under the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL). From 2018 to 2019, the first year of his term, deforestation jumped from 7,5 square kilometers to 10,1 square kilometers. The figures are part of a survey conducted by the Prodes system of the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), considered the most accurate for such measurements.
The president of the Brazilian Institute for Environmental Protection (Proam), Carlos Bocuhy, draws attention to the measures adopted by the Bolsonaro government that culminated in the acceleration of the destruction of the Amazon, such as the dismantling of monitoring and enforcement, actions considered fundamental to combating environmental crime.
Dismantling under Bolsonaro
“The Bolsonaro government dismantled the possibility of integrated oversight, involving the Federal Police, Ibama, state and municipal agencies in the Amazon region, and even the National Army as a support element. It also removed the possibility of environmental fines. A government decree practically banned fines, and this led to a feeling of impunity,” recalls the expert.
Bocuhy also mentions the lack of oversight at export ports and airports, in order to curb the export of timber and gold, for example, resulting from criminal activity. "I would also add the issue of the Amazon Fund, which was a mess created by the federal government that ended up eliminating the possibility of international funding for the protection of the forest."
According to the president of Proam, Bolsonaro contributes to the destruction of the Amazon not only on paper, but also through his anti-environmental speeches. The president insists on claiming, among other falsehoods, that Brazil "is the country that most preserves the environment in the world," even though it is responsible for 40% of the deforestation of primary tropical forests.
'To let the cattle through'
His allies also use public discourse to encourage the destruction of the forest. According to Bocuhy, this became even more evident at the ministerial meeting in April 2020, in which former Environment Minister Ricardo Salles suggested "passing the cattle herd" through environmental policy. "While we are in this moment of tranquility in terms of press coverage, because they only talk about COVID, (we need to take advantage) and pass the cattle herd. Change all the regulations, simplify the rules of IPHAN, the Ministries of Agriculture, Environment, this ministry and that. Now is the time to join efforts to massively simplify the regulations that we 'need' in all aspects," Salles said at the time.
The statement, as highlighted by the president of Proam, "admits and protects a pretense of environmental protection. When, in reality, (the Bolsonaro government) would be serving the economic interests of the government's allies, its base, which shelters the most backward agribusiness in Brazil," he observes.
Amazonia: a topic absent from the debate
Despite the harsh reality experienced by the Amazon rainforest in recent years, the topic was barely present in the speeches of the presidential candidates during the first debate held on August 28th. According to Bocuhy, politicians missed the opportunity to discuss environmental issues impacting the Brazilian population from North to South, such as heavy rainfall and excessive fires due to dry weather, a consequence of climate change.
This, according to him, demonstrates the need for environmental education among the political class to ensure the quality of life for current and future generations.
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