If a few decades ago, an international threat was defined only in terms of the combat power of States, it is clear that this century has changed radically. The transport, communication and technology revolution has profoundly transformed international relations, making them more dynamic, complex and multifaceted.
We live in times of accelerating interdependence and the debate around “global public goods” gaining power and centrality. In this context, we are aware that there is no other way than collective cooperation to overcome common challenges. This is why countries have worked over the years to institutionalize specific agendas; They created structures that bound countries by creating rules, norms, procedures, regimes, and organizations that could protect common interests at the expense of individual agendas. This happens with environmental issues.
In the case of Brazil, this has been a sensitive issue and has long been surrounded by contradictions and paradoxes. On the one hand, the country has numerous potentials in this field, on the other hand, it has a history of numerous international discrediting.
While the country is home to the greatest biodiversity in the world and the largest tropical forest on the planet, it also accumulates countless reports of destruction and illegal activity. according to the data global witnessBrazil is the fourth country to kill environmental activists the most on the planet. There are dozens of Chico Mendes, Dorothy Stang, Maxciel dos Santos, Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira every year.
Among the numerous contradictions in Brazil in 2022 is the dissonance between internal actions and external discourse regarding the environmental sphere. We are witnessing domestically record back record the numbers of deforestation, the abundance of environmental crimes, the systematic cutting of resources in the scientific field, the repeal of public policies on environmental protection, and the Brazilian State’s contempt for all kinds of illegality in the Amazon. Internationally, we’ve seen our leaders talk about a “green revolution” trying to sell the image of a Brazil committed to the environment and sustainable development.
Unfortunately, like pretty much everything else in Brazil in 2022, this is nothing new. In this particular case, the subject is a dja vu This event, which dates back to the 1970s, dates back to when Brazil staged a complete break between the internal government of the government, in the context of the Stockholm Conference, the first major meeting of heads of state organized by the United Nations to address issues related to environmental degradation. and the talk of his own diplomacy in the international arena. During this period, Brazil was seen with great distrust globally and experienced the spread of its image as an international villain.
We all know the recipe for this: including hosting an authoritarian regime (then the Medici government in the context of a military dictatorship) and seeking the “economic miracle” at the expense of deforestation in the Amazon and Atlantic Forest. . As the country tried to lead the so-called “third world” countries and defend the sovereign rhetoric at the Stockholm Conference, a drama was unfolding in Brazil with the greatest moment of environmental destruction ever recorded.
To reverse this game and balance the idea that we are a country against the world, it demanded: 1) diplomatic activism; 2) efforts to re-democratize and defend our institutions; 3) ratification of a new Constitution ensuring environmental protection as a commitment of the Brazilian State; 4) structuring of public policies specifically aimed at protecting the Amazon region; 5) end the isolation of environmental negotiations that revolve only around Itamaraty and begin to involve other actors, addressing the issue in a decentralized manner and involving an active legislature, NGOs, business and other ministries. Only in this way was Brazil able to host the next UN environment meeting, held in Rio in 1992, and contributed to reinforcing the idea of a new Brazilian stance internationally.
Judging by the latest news, it’s clear that Brazil 2022 smells like mothballs. Now the question that does not want to be silent is: Will we be able to turn this page once again?
source: Noticias
[author_name]
