Environment Minister: Sanitation, waste Brazil’s top challenges
Brazil’s Environment Minister Joaquim Leite said Wednesday (Dec. 21) Brazil is facing a number of environmental challenges, the main ones being sanitation and waste treatment. Leite was interviewed on A Voz do Brasil, a radio program aired by the country’s public broadcasting network.
Regarding sanitation and waste treatment, Leite talked about the Sanitation Framework and the Solid Waste Framework, which, he said, introduced a robust policy on private investment in these two areas. “A hundred million Brazilians don’t have access to sewage treatment, 30 million have no access to treated water, and there are still 2,600 open air dumpsites. Only by partnering up with the private enterprise can we find a solution to these issues,” he declared.
The minister also mentioned land regulation and railroads, which are less polluting than roads. “The federal government has worked to tackle a number of challenges with various [public] policies.”
On COP27, the minister said that Brazil played a major role in the event. “Brazil was able to discuss a damage fund aimed at the most vulnerable countries regarding climate.”
The minister also referred to the deal on native forests with Congo and Indonesia, negotiated during the conference: “Brazil [has] a vast area of native forest. By standing side by side with these countries, we can devise criteria—we’re frontrunners in this—for the payment of environmental services to those who take care of the forest,” he pointed out.
