Environment minister creates National Authority for Climate Security
In one of the most crowded handover ceremonies in recent years, federal representative elected from São Paulo Marina Silva took office on Wednesday (Jan. 4), as environment minister, almost 15 years after having left the command of this ministry during President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva`s second mandate, in 2008.
Internationally recognized for her work in defense of the environment, Marina Silva said, in a speech that lasted about an hour, that Brazil has become an environmental pariah and that, in recent years, the structures to combat deforestation and climate change policies have been weakened.
One of the innovations announced by the minister is the creation of the National Authority for Climate Security, which will be linked to the recently renamed Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. There will also be a government council exclusively to deal with climate security, under the command of Brazil’s President.
"The climate emergency is imposing itself. We want to highlight what is the greatest global challenge currently facing humanity. Countries, people, and ecosystems are increasingly unable to cope with the consequences. It is proven that the poorest are the most affected ones," the minister declared.
Regarding the National Authority, Marina Silva explained that its purpose is to produce subsidies for the execution and implementation of the national climate policy, to regulate and monitor the implementation of actions related to policies and sectoral targets on mitigation, adaptation, and promotion of resilience to climate change, and to supervise instruments, programs, and actions for the implementation of the national policy on climate change and its sectoral plans. "The government's decision is that the design of this agency will be submitted to the National Congress by the end of April," she announced.
Environment Minister Marina Silva has also created the Extraordinary Secretary for the Control of Deforestation and Land and Territorial Planning. Several times in her speech, she spoke of the need for environmental policy to be executed in a transversal way among the different ministries.
Marina Silva also pointed out the need for international partnerships and for Brazil’s insertion in the multilateral agenda, so that the country is no longer seen as an "environmental pariah," but as a strategic partner in the production of sustainable goods.
