A Amazônia brasileira passa por um período de forte expansão de crimes ambientais, sobretudo o desmatamento ilegal e a extração ilegal de madeira e de ouro, ao mesmo tempo que a punição de infratores — historicamente infrequente em tais crimes — se torna ainda mais rara. Gargalos estruturais de capacidade institucional de agências ambientais e do sistema acusatório e de justiça, somados à baixa transparência de dados sobre ilícitos ambientais e ao enfraquecimento das políticas de prevenção e combate a crimes ambientais promovidas pelo atual governo federal, contribuem para que autores de tais crimes se beneficiem de um elevado nível de impunidade.
Even causing serious environmental damage and obtaining large profits, offenders often continue to practice illegalities without facing administrative or judicial liability. Therefore, the fight against impunity in environmental crimes must be part of a broader approach that prioritizes the prevention of such activities.
Given this context, on March 31, 2022, CIPÓ published the Strategic ReportHow to fight impunity in environmental crimes in the Amazon? Challenges and the role of institutions in Brazil“, by Arthur Vieira.
The Report seeks to highlight the main challenges related to the fight against environmental crimes in Brazil, focusing on the role of the state in the monitoring, investigation, and punishment of environmental infractions in accordance with Brazilian environmental legislation. The analysis also addresses the importance of data transparency in helping to reduce impunity for environmental crimes.
The Report is structured in three parts. The first part focuses on the challenges in combating environmental crimes, including in the justice system. Then, the second part analyzes the impact of political discourses in encouraging impunity and the importance of data transparency in the fight against these crimes. The third and final part offers recommendations to reduce impunity for environmental crimes and increase the effectiveness and prevention power of Brazilian environmental legislation.
