The Minister of the Environment, Joaquim Leite, ends this Thursday (31), in Paris (FRA), two days of meetings at the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). Brazil is trying to become a member of the entity, and environmental issues are among the biggest challenges for the approval of the country’s candidacy.
BrasÃlia is not unaware that the historically high rates of deforestation in the Amazon during the government of Jair Bolsonaro have shaken the country’s credibility on these issues, in addition to shaking diplomatic relations with countries such as France and Germany. However, for Joaquim Leite, there is no mea culpa to be made in relation to the four years of management, which are coming to an end in 2022.
“The policy of the Bolsonaro government is a rational policy towards profitable climate solutions for the entrepreneur, for people and the environment, for nature. We have to generate green jobs”, defended the minister, in an interview with RFI, to the margin of meetings at OECD headquarters. “In previous governments, the policy was ‘what can I reduce, ban, where can I occupy and fine’. The Bolsonaro government brings a new policy: what climate solution will I be able to undertake together with the private sector,” said Leite.
Mining in indigenous lands
In this sense, the minister defended PL191, sent by the government to Congress and which provides for the expansion of mining and large enterprises in indigenous lands. The bill, dubbed “x-tudo” by environmental organizations, led to massive protests in BrasÃlia earlier this month.
“Having the possibility of having a regularized economic activity is the guarantee of environmental protection. When you talk about mining in the Amazon, the impact on biodiversity and the forest is less than 3%”, he justified. “This does not mean more degradation, on the contrary, it means a solution to a problem that has existed for years, which is environmental crime linked to organized crime, which is a great challenge”, she pointed out.
At the meetings at the OECD, which brings together the 38 most developed economies on the planet, the Brazilian government strives to show other aspects of action in the environmental area, in order to minimize the negative impact of deforestation figures. In January and February, data from Inpe (National Institute for Space Research) revealed new records of devastation in the Amazon for the period, despite being rainy months.
“Environmental crime is one thing and public environmental policy activity is another. Here, everyone was very receptive to understand the government’s real environmental policy, which ranges from recycling, renewable energies, fleet renewal, green hydrogen, offshore wind and other programs that are already a success in Brazil”, claims the minister, stressing that “all countries have their environmental challenges”.
energy exports
In this period when the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine are making energy prices more expensive around the world, Joaquim Leite sees opportunities for the country, which could become an exporter of clean sources – but not only these. Fossils, which emit more greenhouse gases, are on the horizon of the Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes. On Tuesday (29), also in Paris, Guedes guaranteed that, through investments, the country could become the third largest oil producer in the world.
“It’s not a contradiction”, counters Leite, when asked about the matter. “The world needs energy and Brazil needs to contribute to the world, with all kinds of energy. fossils,” he explained.
