The Unified Workers’ Central (CUT), the main national trade union center in Brazil, denounced the Jair Bolsonaro government’s implementation of a criminal policy of environmental destruction, the consequences of which are currently reflected in the Amazon fires.
A press release signed by CUT President Vagner Freitas states that ‘warnings about the situation of the Amazon and the environmental policy have been constant since the coup that established an illegitimate government in Brazil.’
The document points out that such a scenario has been aggravated by Bolsonaro’s entry into office. He has implemented the dismantling of State environmental legislation, built over 30 years.
In less than eight months, the government has reduced controls on deforestation operations by 30%, spending on environmental control by 38%, cut millions allocated to forest firefighting and 95% of expenses dedicated to combating climate change, the text continues.
The CUT also notes that Environment Minister Ricardo Salles prohibited the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), responsible for environmental monitoring, from performing monitoring operations, laid off several employees and is reviewing climate fines.
According to the trade union organization, this government attack is related to the interests of Brazilian mining companies and agribusiness. The aim is to destroy the environment to advance to exploit minerals and produce soybean and livestock and promote several forms of precarious work.
