My foreign colleagues in our practice (accounting, audit) frequently hit me with questions arisen from what they read in their media on the fact that Brazil does not follow a good Environmental Governance. Allegation as to how much we devastate on the Amazon, how we have such a poor administration of our environment frequently get under my skin, due to the lack of proper information and the ultimate bad faith of a league of media outlets that are either totally mistaken or willfully wishing to spread misinformation, at someone else`s expenses, and for someone else’s profit.
Environmental Code
Being born in a rural area in Rio de Janeiro State and directly linked to a family of original agricultures and dairy producers, I know for a fact that fulfilling the Brazilian Environmental Code (BEC for short) is a challenge. In the South/Southeast areas of Brazil, a minimum of 20% of the total area of a farm must be kept untouched; riversides are to be kept untouched for a minimum of 10 meters up to 100 meters in each side, depending on the width of the river. Knowing Brazil, and knowing the amount of rivers and creeks we have, you may imagine how much of native forest must be kept.
In the “Legal Amazon Area”, that corresponds to 59% of the total area of Brazil`s more than 8 million Km². It means that legally, at least 55.4% will never, ever be touched. In fact, as of today, Brazil keeps 64.7% of its original vegetation, as it was in April 22, 1500. This does not include the reforesting, an increasing and thriving activity, vital for the pulp and paper chain.
Energy
Here, a conundrum: despite of the fact Brazil has over 90% of its energy sourced from renewables.
In fact, renewables represents about 92% of Brazil’s energy generation in 2024. Hydropower remains the dominant source, contributing around 50% of the electricity supply, while wind and solar energy have also seen significant growth ()1.
The primary renewable energy sources in Brazil’s matrix include:
- Hydropower: Approximately 50% of electricity generation.
- Wind Energy: Around 15% of electricity generation.
- Solar Energy: About 10% of electricity generation.
- Biomass: Contributing to the remaining share.
BTW, nuclear is not included in the quote from ChatGPT. It represents 2.2%. ChatGPT is right in not classifying nuclear as “renewable”. That does not mean it isn`t “clean”, in my opinion.
The Environmental Control Bureaus
Brazil has a myriad of environmental bureaus and bureaucracies. Each, with few exceptions, occupied by radical environmentalists with close to zero cares on the development of the country and the wellbeing of our population. We have 5 agencies of direct/indirect environmental control, at federal level, 27 such organisms at state level and, assuming we have over 5.5 thousand counties, at least half of them with environmental secretariats.
All in all, a constellation of environmentalists, each willing to outdo and clickbait the other and show more “concern” on the environment.
Nothing against environmental control, of course. This is important and Brazil is doing its fair share on it. Just that it has shown relevant side effects that must be understood.
Side Effects
Once again, asking my patient reader to keep in mind that I am all for a good environmental stewardship, I just want to point out some absurd effects of it over the Brazilian society as a whole and how, even with all the burden carried by us, it seems that some countries are not satisfied with the results.
For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Romans 8:22 (KJV)
My Bible tells me, more than once, that the human sin has put a tremendous strain on the environment, as above quoted from the Apostle Paul. Unnecessary to elaborate the fact that all mankind should be extremely environmentally concerned, without being idiots, of course.
That said, one side effect of the radical environmentalism, probably the most critical, is on infrastructure and mobility. From Curitiba, where I live, to the nearest beach, it is about 100Km, or 60 Mi. It takes from 1h 40min to reach there, but it often takes 3, 4 hours. The reason is that environmental agencies stop virtually all efforts to give better access to the beautiful shore. Good stewardship of infrastructure should be conducive to a larger appreciation of the environment; a stronger attachment to the beauties of the Atlantic Forest close to us.
One other example: the highway from São Paulo to the south of Brazil, the Regis Bittencourt highway, had a 30 Km portion in single lane, despite the quality of the rest of the road. The reason, environmental permits to duplicate that portion due to the existence of some families of “Mico Leão da Cara Preta” (Leontopithecus caissara) monkeys. A battle ensued and it took over 20 years to complete the duplication of the highway. Now the travel from Curitiba to São Paulo takes at least 1 hour less than 5 years ago. Nobody thought about the long line of trucks and cars expelling CO2 in the atmosphere for some many years. Something totally evitable.
Rivers and bays denied bridges and highways, due to “environmental impacts” (despite the reports telling the opposite, sometimes). Everybody in Brazil have experienced trips partially interrupted by long lines of cars/trucks waiting to be ferried over a bay or a river in ferryboats.
Whole communities in the northern Brazil have electricity for no more than 8 hours per day, diesel-based. The reason? A transmission line that links the north to the rest of the energy grid is deemed “harmful” to the environment. Let the diesel be used, let peoples’ quality of life be miserable, provided some unknown bureaucrat have its way (or the way some ONG directs them to apply).
Agendas
As usual in Brazil, a hidden agenda permeates the environmental decisions. Rationality, not a national sport among politicians by any means, becomes enraged platitudeness speeches of raging and red faced politicians, with prominent blue veins in the neck, from the tribune of the chambers of the legislative, uncapable of seeing the bad light that they unnecessarily bring to Brazil in the world.
This beautiful country will some day wake up and start doing the rational and right thing: to adequately plan and develop an infrastructure that will enable progress, boost eco-tourism and facilitate mobility, all at once, making our lives not only better, but more enjoyable.
I wish all my friends and relatives, those who follow me in the social media and here, a blessed Christmas and a very happy New Year, 2025!
- Source Brazilian Government, through ChatGPT ↩︎