Brazil: Environment minister calls on government to push through further environmental deregulation during the pandemic
“COVID-19 pandemic ‘opportunity’ to change environmental laws: Brazil minister”, 28th May 2020
Brazil’s environment minister Ricardo Salles — in a video — called on the government to push through further environmental deregulation while the country’s people grappled by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
The statement was made during a ministerial meeting released by the Supreme Court on May 22, 2020.
“We need to make an effort while we are in this calm moment in terms of press coverage — because they are only talking about COVID-19 — and push through and change all the rules and simplify norms,” he said in the video.
The government had the “opportunity” to pass “infra-legal reforms”, while the press gave “a little relief on other issues”, the minister said, referring to press coverage on the pandemic…
The minister's statements generated outrage among environmental organisations that expressed disapproval for the dismantling of the country's environmental protection conditions…
The increase in deforestation coincides with the increase of COVID-19 cases in Brazil. Deforestation increased by 55 per cent in the first four months of this year, according to data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, a research unit of Brazil’s Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry.