Brazil Passes 'Devastation Bill' That Erodes Environmental Protections

Brazilian lawmakers have passed a bill that drastically weakens environmental safeguards and is seen by many activists as the most significant setback for the country's environmental legislation in the past 40 years.

- Tiago Rogero

The new law - referred to as the "devastation bill" and approved by the senate in May - passed in congress in the early hours of yesterday by 267 votes to 116, despite opposition from more than 350 organisations and social movements.

It now goes to the president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has 15 working days to either approve or veto it.

Even if he vetoes, there is a strong chance that the predominantly conservative congress will overturn that, triggering a likely battle in the supreme court, as legal experts argue that the law is unconstitutional.

"Either way, its approval is a tragedy," said Suely Araújo, public policy coordinator at the Climate Observatory civil society group, arguing that the legislation would, among other consequences, drive large-scale deforestation and heighten the risk of human-caused climate disasters.