“The future is not for sale. Say no to the Devastation Bill”

A prospective law currently progressing through Brazil’s legislature threatens to wreak havoc on Brazil’s environmental safeguards – creating loopholes that could accelerate deforestation and nature loss, and increase threats to Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

By Isadora Carvalho

Sustainable Finance Engagement Lead at Global Canopy

Various versions of Bill 2159/2021, dubbed the “Devastation Bill”, would significantly weaken the licensing standards applicable to the agricultural sector, mining companies and other key businesses pursuing projects that often have environmental and social impacts.

The bill undermines the core function of environmental licensing – its role as a critical checkpoint where authorities, stakeholders and companies reach agreement to ensure projects are safe, sustainable and fair. Weakening this process increases the likelihood of lawsuits, project suspensions and costly delays. Changing well-established regulations also creates uncertainty for investors and makes it harder to achieve the longer-term goal of aligning development projects, financial flows with the preservation of Brazil’s natural heritage.

Environmental protections at risk include safeguards to Indigenous and Quilombola rights, licensing protections for Conservation Units (areas protected by law with the aim of preserving nature, biodiversity and natural resources), and protections for the Amazon and Atlantic Forest.

On 8 August, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva exercised a presidential veto to keep these safeguards, and to restrict fast-track online licensing to low-impact projects only. While this sends an important positive signal, the veto could be overturned by Congress.

Crucially, even after Lula’s vetoes, the law retains one of its most potentially damaging provisions: the Special Environmental License (LAE). This enables the government to streamline and expedite permits for projects deemed “strategic”, shifting decisions that should be based on technical criteria into the political sphere.

With COP30 on the horizon, Brazil’s environmental credibility is at stake. The country’s existing licensing system is considered one of the most advanced environmental protections in the world. It showcases the global leadership of a country that is both nature rich and forward looking, striving to combine sustainable economic growth with environmental integrity. The “Devastation Bill” is the wrong move for Brazil, nature and the climate.

“The future is not for sale. Say no to the Devastation Bill” is a slogan used by critics of the legislation.