A new law in Brazil could cause “significant environmental harm and human rights violations”, and represents a “rollback for decades” of protections in Brazil, including for the Amazon, a UN expert has told BBC News.
Plans to speed up approvals for development projects were criticised by Astrid Puentes Riaño, a UN special rapporteur, as the country prepares to host the COP30 climate summit this year.
Lawmakers passed plans to simplify environmental licences for infrastructure including roads, dams, energy and mines this month, though the president has not formally approved the bill.
Critics have dubbed it the “devastation bill” and say it could lead to environmental abuses and deforestation.
Proponents say a new nationwide licensing regime would simplify the long and complex process that companies face to prove to authorities that planned developments do not cause unacceptable environmental harm.
Under the changes, some developers would be able to self-declare their environmental impact through an online form for projects deemed smaller – a move supporters say would reduce bureaucracy but critics feel is a major concern.
Ms Riaño told the BBC she feared the lighter regulations would “apply to some mining projects” and will “impact the Amazon region”.
She also said was “very worried” about plans for automatic renewal of some projects’ licences where no major changes have occurred, saying: “This will prevent environmental impact assessments from being done on these projects. Some of the projects will include mining projects or infrastructure projects where a full assessment is needed.
“It will also cause deforestation. Modifications or continuations of projects might mean deforestation in the Amazon without a proper assessment.”
A lot of deforestation and land-clearing in the Amazon has been driven by agriculture and mining, sometimes illegally – but Ms Riaño said the bill is “going backwards” on efforts to prevent that.
Her intervention comes two months after new analysis
