Ago 30 2024 | Nº. 132

Editorial

Last weekend, Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Gustavo Petro of Colombia issued another joint statement regarding the delicate post-election situation in Venezuela. Despite the claims of victory by Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, Lula and Petro asserted that the “credibility of the electoral process can only be restored through the transparent publication of disaggregated and verifiable data.” Maduro’s government has not released the raw electoral data from July’s election. Running counter to the Lula-Petro line is the Brazilian Association of Jurists for Democracy, which on Thursday said there was no reason to doubt the outcome of the Venezuelan election—notwithstanding several credible analyses that the opposition actually won—and urged “respect for the results.” Having repeatedly set the release of electoral data as a firm red line, it seems unlikely that Lula and Petro will back down, which is not to say a break with Venezuela is on the horizon. Instead, relations will likely continue but in a much cooler tone than in years past. At this point, it appears more likely than not that Maduro will manage to stay in power.  

While Venezuela remains a highly salient regional issue, Ukraine, a much more pressing concern when Lula assumed office, was once again in the news this week with President Volodymyr Zelensky sitting for an interview with television presenter Luciano Huck. Zelensky recalled that: “I had a meeting with President Lula, and I saw that he understood me. Because we had a very good dialogue, really good. I am grateful for that, but he lives the narratives of the Soviet Union. It is a shame. He thinks of Russia as if the Soviet Union still existed today. Is China a democratic country? No. And what about Iran? Is it a democratic country? No. And what about North Korea? They are not democratic countries. So, what is Brazil, a great democratic country, doing in this company?” Brazil’s policy of not taking sides in Russia’s war on Ukraine has not changed and is unlikely to change despite Zelensky’s frustration with Lula’s position. 

This week was also characterized by the potential shutdown of Twitter/X in Brazil. On Wednesday, August 28, Minister Alexandre de Moraes of the Brazilian Supreme Court issued a digital subpoena to Elon Musk, who owns the social media platform with millions of users in Brazil. The subpoena demanded that Musk appoint a new legal representative for the company in Brazil within 24 hours and pay multiple pending legal fees. If this requirement is not fulfilled, Moraes has directed that the platform be suspended in Brazil for an indefinite period. Musk, for his part, has been defiant, dismissing Moraes as an authoritarian and Lula as his lapdog. As of Friday, August 30, Twitter/X was still operating in Brazil.

Highlights

• Fires. Brazil recorded 115,944 fires in the first eight months of 2024, which corresponds to 46.3 percent of all fires in the period in South America. The Federal Police have opened more than 30 investigations to determine who is responsible for these incidents. Most of the investigations are focused on events that occurred in the Amazon and the Pantanal. More than ten states are dealing with dense clouds of smoke caused by the fires. Hundreds of municipalities have entered a state of alert throughout the country. The spread of fires is exacerbated by the hot and dry climate.

• Indigenous issues. On August 28, Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) announced its withdrawal from the Conciliation Commission of the Brazilian Supreme Court, which is discussing Law 14.701/2023 – known as the Temporal Framework Law or the Indigenous Genocide Law, which prohibits the demarcation of new Indigenous lands that have not already been recognized as such before the enactment of the 1988 Constitution. The organization believes that the Conciliation Commission ignored several requests made by the Indigenous movement. The movement's criticisms can be read at this link. This opinion piece, written by Dinamam Tuxá for issue 130 of the WBO weekly bulletin, provides more information.

• Alexandre de Moraes. This week, the Folha de São Paulo newspaper continued its series of reports by Glenn Greenwald, the American journalist based in Rio de Janeiro, and Fabio Serapião, in which they reveal behind-the-scenes details of judicial decisions taken by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes against far-right Bolsonaro supporters. The reports are based on cell phone messages leaked to the duo by an anonymous source. The latest texts are gradually bringing information that Moraes acted outside the formal procedure to support some of the lawsuits against bloggers and far-right politicians. Although experts on the subject agree that the case shows actions that may be outside the formal procedure, they disagree, however, on the gravity of the fact. What is concrete so far is the political use that the far-right is making of the series of reports to convey to its audience the message that all of the punishments imposed by Moraes against leading figures in the sector were illegal.

   

• Military coup plotters. On August 27, the Brazilian army opened an investigation to determine the involvement of active military personnel in the publication of a letter calling for a coup d'état against Lula's election in 2022. In all, 37 military personnel participated in drafting the text, including four colonels. All were the target of an internal investigation. The army considered that 11 of them gave satisfactory explanations, while 26 received punishments. Of these, four are now being investigated on suspicion of committing a “military crime.”

News from the WBO, Organizations and Social Movements

New researchers. The WBO announced this week the launch of its 2024-2025 annual cycle for research fellows. The selection process is open to both those interested in renewing their participation in the program and to other academics interested in collaborating with the WBO in three main areas: (1) US-Brazil Relations and Public Policy; (2) Democracy and the Far Right; and (3) Environment and Climate Change. The program is unpaid and non-residential. Candidates must submit their full application by 9 September 2024 using this form.

Threats to democracy. WBO Executive Director Paulo Abrão said in an interview with the German public news agency DW that the Latin American region has been suffering from a new wave of threats to democracy, which includes recent events in countries such as Brazil, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and El Salvador. “I believe that today the major issue in the region is the confrontation between democracies and new forms of authoritarianism,” said Abrão. Read the full interview at this link.

Environmental crimes. The Fact Coalition – Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency published a study in August entitled “Environmental Crimes Poses Unique Illicit Finance Challenges and Require Specific Solutions.” The study, written by Julia Yansura, addresses aspects linked to one of the largest and most profitable criminal activities in the world. According to Interpol, environmental crimes are growing by 5 percent per year, a rate that is three times higher than the growth of the world's GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Read the study at the link.

Climate emergencies. On August 30, Themis – Gender, Justice and Human Rights held a course for public prosecutors on “Community Action in Climate Emergencies.” The initiative was conceived as “a direct response to the devastating climate emergency that hit Rio Grande do Sul between May and June 2024” with the aim of training community leaders so that they can play an active and effective role in climate emergencies, contributing to the construction of a fairer and more sustainable future for all.

Young voters. Agência Mural published a special material, financed by the Tide Setubal Foundation, in which it provides a study of the young people who will vote for the first time this year in the municipal elections of São Paulo, the largest city in Brazil. The study features reports from young people concerned about issues such as work, urban mobility, health and education, as well as reflections on democracy and the responsibility of voting for the first time. Access the report via the link.

Feature Article

Fighting Climate Change Requires a Different Mindset

By Sonia Guajajara*

The climate disasters unfolding around the world – including unprecedented floods in Brazil, Africa, and China, heat waves in Asia and the Middle East, and persistent droughts in Europe and Latin America – show that the planet is at a critical juncture. Fortunately, we can still seize the opportunity to redefine our paradigms of economic and social development. Alongside preserving and restoring our forests, we must end our dependence on fossil fuels and embrace renewables.

With our ancestral knowledge and respect for nature, Indigenous peoples are an invaluable asset in confronting this challenge. Despite comprising only 5 percent of the global population, our lands preserve more than 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity. We know that when humans try to dominate nature, nature always responds. Today’s climate tragedies reflect this dynamic. They show why we must transcend our individual experiences to reach a higher state of consciousness vis-à-vis nature.

To that end, we in Brazil are committed to combating deforestation and advancing the demarcation, protection, and environmental management of Indigenous territories. Such measures are essential to preserve biodiversity, limit carbon-dioxide emissions, and avoid the point of no return for essential biomes like the Amazon. Brazil is also focusing on the energy we produce and consume, a challenge that involves complex debates and compels stark choices.

But climate change is a global crisis. Unsustainable economic models built on fossil-fuel energy disproportionately affect the most vulnerable populations. By abandoning outdated development models based on the destruction of nature, we can embark on a path that is not only more sustainable, but also more just.

Despite the clear dangers presented by fossil fuels, significant investments in these energy sources continue to go unchallenged. A common justification is that burning fossil fuels yields economic benefits, but the oil industry is highly income-concentrating, yielding substantial gains only for a few, and negative externalities – not least pollution, corruption, and displacement – for the many.

Yet the human, financial, and environmental costs of our fossil-fuel fixation are increasingly clear. Consider the recent catastrophic floods in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, which killed hundreds of people and displaced many more; or the unprecedented drought that left thousands without water and food in the Amazon, home to the planet’s largest watershed; or the fires in the Pantanal, the largest wetland in the world. While billions of taxpayer dollars are spent supporting recovery from these kinds of disasters, billions more are still going to subsidize the fossil-fuel industry and its shareholders.

What will it take for governments to prioritize investments in climate-change mitigation and adaptation over these destructive subsidies? The G7 and other advanced economies have a responsibility to demonstrate more leadership on this issue. The effects of climate change are tangible threats that undermine growth and security everywhere. As heads of state and government – especially those from the G7 and G20 – prepare for upcoming climate meetings in Azerbaijan and Brazil, they should ask themselves how many more climate disasters they want to preside over.

We have the right to decide what kind of world we want to build. Do we continue on the path marked out by an exploitative logic that is increasingly turning against us, or do we seize this moment, change course, and start valuing ancestral knowledge? If we choose the latter option – as we must – we will need to secure the free, prior, and informed consent of all communities involved in any new projects, not only to protect rights but also to ensure more effective results.

The technology and knowledge for a just transition already exists. Many countries have already made significant advances in this direction, proving that a sustainable future is possible and economically viable. The tragedies unfolding around us ought to be a wake-up call for all countries to end fossil-fuel exploration, reduce usage as much as possible, and invest in renewable energy, the bioeconomy, and resilient infrastructure.

One big, outstanding issue is that financial flows still need to be brought into line with the targets set under the Paris climate agreement. Not only should annual investments in climate action increase substantially, but northern countries must take responsibility for mobilizing climate financing to the Global South this decade. Only then can we ensure a just and accelerated energy transition and truly protect nature, allowing it to play its indispensable role in stabilizing the planetary systems on which human life and prosperity depends.

The climate crisis is an opportunity to re-evaluate our choices and priorities. Nature has already given us many warnings, and it also offers us solutions. But mitigating climate change, eliminating fossil fuels, preserving and restoring forests, and protecting Indigenous territories will not happen automatically. Each requires funding, concrete policies, and global cooperation. We will hear plenty of lofty, ambitious speeches in the months ahead; but, if these are not backed by comprehensive implementation plans, they will amount to hot air. We already have more of that than we want.

*Sonia Guajajara is Brazil’s Minister of Indigenous Peoples. This article was originally published in Project Syndicate on July 16, 2024, and reproduced in issue 132 of the WBO weekly newsletter, distributed on August 30, 2024.

Feature articles express the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or WBO.