Environmental governance in Brazil

Environmental governance is a concept in environmental policy that steers markets, technology and society towards sustainability. It considers social, economic and environmental aspects of its policies.

Brazil is developing at a very fast rate. Currently, it's only out-performed by countries such as China and India, both in terms of economic growth and its recovery rate after the 2008 financial crisis.

The saying that "Brazil is the country of the future...and it always will be" has haunted Brazil for decades. But economic policy changes made since the founding of the New Republic have allowed Brazil to gain international confidence. Brazil is no longer referred to as a developing country, but as an emerging country, a newly industrialised country and a member of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) economies. Additionally, Brazil has developed into a major oil producer. Relying heavily on their domestic industry, in 2019 50% of all power produced and used within Brazil came from oil. However, Brazil is more known internationally for their oil and petroleum exports. The country produces 4.28 million barrels of oil a day, making them responsible for 4% of the world oil production. As a term, oil encompasses more than just crude oil and petroleum, but also biofuels.

The extraction of natural resources is coming at a price for the natural environment. Former Environment Minister Marina Silva resigned in 2008 as she felt the Brazilian government was prioritizing the interests of big businesses and the economy, and felt she was fighting a losing battle in protecting Brazil's environment, including the Amazon rainforest.

Despite these claims, Brazil has been praised for its environmental sustainability efforts and attempts to reduce its carbon emissions. The Brazilian government created the Ministry of the Environment (MMA) in 1985 and following this, organisations such as Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), created in 1989, work to protect the natural environment. Brazil has also taken a front seat with regards to global environmental governance by jointly creating and presiding over the Megadiverse Like-Minded Countries Group, which includes 70% of the world's living biodiversity and 45% of the world's population.

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