Die brasilianische Regierung, die alle erforderlichen Maßnahmen ergreifen sollte, um den Amazonas und diese Gemeinden mit der gebotenen Dringlichkeit zu schützen, handelt weiterhin gegenteilig: Sie toleriert kriminelle Machenschaften wie Landraub und Eindringen in indigene Gebiete, illegale Minen und illegalen Holzraub. Die Vorstöße der brasilianischen Regierung, die bisherigen Errungenschaften im Naturschutz für die Wirtschaftsinteressen der Agrarindustrie zu schwächen sind vielfältig. Im Dezember erließ Präsident Bolsonaro ein Dekret, das eine Art Amnestie für Landräuber im ganzen Amazonasgebiet vorsieht. Nach viel zivilgesellschaftlichem Protest wurde das Dekret mittlerweile in einen Gesetzesentwurf umgewandelt. Anlässlich der Abstimmung dazu, haben wir einen Brief an den Präsidenten des brasilianischen Kongresses gesandt, um unsere Sorge über die Auswirkungen eines solchen Gesetzes auf die weitere Entwaldung im Amazonas auszudrücken.
AN OPEN LETTER THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES
Rodrigo Maia
Presidente da Câmara dos Deputados
Gabinete 5 – Ed. Principal
70160-900 Brasília – DF
República Federativa do Brasil
May 19, 2020
Dear Mr. Speaker Rodrigo Maia,
With this letter we, Members of Parliament, would like to express our utmost concern regarding the Brazilian government’s recent actions regarding environmental protection and human rights, especially, bill PL 2633/2020 – previously MP 910/2019 – which is up to a vote in the Brazilian congress this week. This bill and accompanying actions undermine the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Brazilian Public Ministry has vocally opposed the law, concluding that it would favor criminal organizations involved in illegal deforestation and armed conflicts. We understand this bill to be highly detrimental for the Amazon rainforest, since it will legalize huge areas of hectares of public land that have already been illegally occupied and cut down. Worse still, we fear it incentivizes further destruction of Amazon forests – our planet cannot afford this, especially not during a time of a global biodiversity and climate crises.
We are deeply worried that this bill comes amid drastically increasing deforestation. In the first four months of 2020, deforestation was 61 percent higher than in the same period last year. Deforestation within Indigenous territories in the Amazon is even higher, increasing by 64 percent compared to this point last year.
Biodiversity and a safe climate are foundational for our shared future and our development pathway must be within the world’s ecological limits. Actions that provoke more deforestation, impair the rule of law or human rights standards that keep deforestation in check, undermine a safe climate, the world’s biodiversity, and therefore should be contingent upon any trade agreements.
We are profoundly worried that the current environmental agenda of the Brazilian government – MP 910/ PL 2633 being one example, PL 191/2020 on mining in Indigenous lands another one – threatens our joint missions and endangers our future economic and trade relations, that we are committed to align with the Paris Climate Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals and the respect for Human Rights.
It is with great concern that the current agenda of the Brazilian government disrespects these values that we are committed to uphold. The recent mission of troop patrols in the Amazon is distortive considering the extent that environmental monitoring agencies have had their budgets cut, staff reduced or relocated, and field offices closed. In some cases, staff have experienced political retaliation or threats from emboldened criminals.
We would like to consider Brazil our partner in a joint effort for a better world. A world that protects human rights, respects biodiversity, the climate, and supports thriving societies. More deforestation at the expense of human rights will not accomplish this. While our world is experiencing an unprecedented global pandemic, we all must act in the best interest of our present and of our future.
Yours sincerely,
* Omid Nouripour, Member of the German Bundestag
* Claudia Roth, Vice-President of the German Bundestag
* Anton Hofreiter, Leader of the Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group in the Bundestag
* Anna Cavazzini, Member of the European Parliament
* Jürgen Trittin, Member of the German Bundestag
* Katharina Dröge, Member of the German Bundestag
* Bärbel Kofler, Member of the German Bundestag
* Cem Özdemir, Member of the German Bundestag
* Lia Quartapelle, Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies
* Uwe Kekeritz, Member of the German Bundestag
* Rossella Muroni, Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies
* Paolo Lattanzio, Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies
* Margarete Bause, Member of the German Bundestag
* Reinhard Bütikofer, Member of the European Parliament
* Yasmin Fahimi, Member of the German Bundestag
* Allesandro Alfieri, Member of the Italian Senate of the Republic
* Dieter Janecek, Member of the German Bundestag
* Allesandro Fussachia, Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies
* Barbara Hendricks, Member of the German Bundestag
* Frank Heinrich, Member of the German Bundestag
* Heike Hänsel, Member of the German Bundestag
* Emanuele Fiano, Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies
* Kai Gehring, Member of the German Bundestag
* Erasmao Pallazotto, Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies
* Steffi Lemke, Member of the German Bundestag
* Sven-Christian Kindler, Member of the German Bundestag
* Charlotte Schneidewind-Hartnagel, Member of the German Bundestag
* Beate Müller-Gemmeke, Member of the German Bundestag
* Gerhard Zickenheiner, Member of the German Bundestag
* Stefan Schmidt, Member of the German Bundestag
* Lisa Paus, Member of the German Bundestag
* Markus Kurth, Member of the German Bundestag
* Anna Christmann, Member of the German Bundestag