On April 24, 2020, the Ministério Público Federal (MPF) requested a preliminary injunction asking the federal government to immediately promote command-and-control measures to prevent deforestation in at least ten areas with the highest incidence of environmental crimes in the Amazon rainforest. The petition calls for the federal government, the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) and the National Indigenous Foundation (Funai) to work together to contain the action of loggers, miners, land grabbers, among other agents in deforestation hotspots through command-and-control measures.

The petition is grounded in scientific data that highlights the significant increase in deforestation in 2020, along with a reduction of federal inspection activity by the environmental agencies. The petition is grounded on the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm). The PPCDAm follows Brazil’s target under the Paris Agreement and the National Policy on Climate Change of reducing deforestation in Amazonia by 80% by 2020, based on the 1996-2005 average. 

The MPF calls on the different government bodies to present an enforcement plan and rapid timeline to implement the necessary mechanisms to contain illegal deforestation. The MPF further requests for the adoption of sanitary barriers and the expulsion of land grabbers in Indigenous lands situated in critical areas of deforestation. The petition also requests that the federal government promote coordination, articulation and cooperation, mobilizing the command-and-control forces of different ministries - Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Environment - to support the exercise of social and environmental police powers necessary for the implementation of an emergency plan. The Union must also make viable the personnel and budgetary resources necessary for the implementation of inspection actions.

On May 21, 2020, the judge in the lower court granted the injunction. The injunction was suspended by the appellate federal court.

Ministério Público Federal v. IBAMA

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Ministério Público Federal v. IBAMA - petition

Filed

On April 24, 2020, the Ministério Público Federal (MPF) requested a preliminary injunction asking the federal government to immediately promote command-and-control measures to prevent deforestation in at least ten areas with the highest incidence of environmental crimes in the Amazon rainforest. The petition calls for the federal government, the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) and the National Indigenous Foundation (Funai) to work together to contain the action of loggers, miners, land grabbers, among other agents in deforestation hotspots through command-and-control measures.

The petition is grounded in scientific data that highlights the significant increase in deforestation in 2020, along with a reduction of federal inspection activity by the environmental agencies. The petition is grounded on the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm). The PPCDAm follows Brazil’s target under the Paris Agreement and the National Policy on Climate Change of reducing deforestation in Amazonia by 80% by 2020, based on the 1996-2005 average. 

The MPF calls on the different government bodies to present an enforcement plan and rapid timeline to implement the necessary mechanisms to contain illegal deforestation. The MPF further requests for the adoption of sanitary barriers and the expulsion of land grabbers in Indigenous lands situated in critical areas of deforestation. The petition also requests that the federal government promote coordination, articulation and cooperation, mobilizing the command-and-control forces of different ministries - Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Environment - to support the exercise of social and environmental police powers necessary for the implementation of an emergency plan. The Union must also make viable the personnel and budgetary resources necessary for the implementation of inspection actions.

On May 21, 2020, the judge in the lower court granted the injunction. The injunction was suspended by the appellate federal court. 

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

Risk is the potential for adverse consequences resulting from the dynamic interplay between (climate-related) hazards, exposure, and vulnerability of affected human or ecological systems.

Groups  of people who are adversely affected by climate change or the response to it

A set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.

Justice is the ethical and political framework that addresses fairness, including issues of responsibility, rights, and structural inequity.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, fossil gas, and oil (including crude oil, and petroleum products), that can be used for electricity and heat generation. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from pressurised and heated organic material buried over millions of years.

Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, in order to moderate harm, increase resilience or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate change and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate change and its effects.

The management and allocation of funds, assets and investments to meet various objectives

A subsidy is a direct or indirect payment to individuals or businesses, typically provided as a government cash payment or a specific tax reduction.

Zoning and spatial planning are both methods for guiding the distribution of people and activities in a space, and are regulatory restriction.

A ban is a legal action that prevents the sale or supply of a product or service, or that recalls a product from the market. Examples are bans on SF6, greenwashing, fossil fuel advertisement or single-use plastics.

A financial institution that manages a country's currency and can promote climate-related initiatives through green monetary policy and other means.

A target to reduce the prevalence of a greenhouse gas over a specific time frame

Using laws and the legal system more broadly to protect vulnerable entities

Either money or something of monetary value is transferred between two or more organisations, people or countries.

Conditions that enhance the feasibility of adaptation options. Enabling conditions include finance, technological innovation, strengthening policy instruments, institutional capacity, multi-level governance and changes in human behaviour and lifestyles.

Actions or measures to adapt terrestrial systems to climate change.

Actions and measures to adapt and increase resilience of societies and the economy to climate change.

Hot temperature extremes are daily maximum temperatures  that were exceeded on average once in a decade or once in 50 years, and includes heatwaves.

A long-lived, colourless gas, chiefly emitted from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and cement production.

A potent, short-lived greehouse gas, largely released from livestock, fossil fuel extraction and waste management.

Agriculture mitigation refers to practices used to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions at every level of the agrifood systems, from production to consumption.

Actions to reduce emissions in energy generation and supply.

Risks to the ecosystem health of the marine environment, including ocean warming, ocean acidification, and ocean deoxygenation, harming biodiversity, species health, ecosystem services, and coastal community livelihoods.

Extreme weather refers to events where a weather variable exceeds (or falls below) a threshold. Meaning it is significantly different from the average or usual weather pattern.

A drought is an extended period of unusually dry weather marked by a significant and sustained lack of precipitation, falling below a specific threshold over a large area for more than a month

Terrestrial means "of the earth" and relates to the risks to ecological system that includes all living organisms and their interactions within land-based environments, such as forests, grasslands, and deserts.

Air pollution involves harmful contaminants in the air, affecting both indoor and outdoor environments. It can lead to health issues like respiratory diseases and heart problems, and climate impacts such as global warming. Pollutants can damage plants, trees, habitats, and water bodies like rivers and lakes.

Energy derived from biological compounds that are renewable due to their short life cycle within the carbon dioxide cycle.

Electrical energy generated from mechanical devices driven by flowing fresh water.

Fossil gas, commonly known as natural gas, is a fossil fuel consisting chiefly of methane with smaller amounts of other hydrocarbons and trace gases, found in underground deposits.

People with different national or cultural traditions from the dominant population

Work that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for all, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organize and participate in the decisions that affect their lives and equality of opportunity.

Social and cultural groups that share collective ancestral ties to the lands and natural resources where they live, occupy or from which they have been displaced

People whose health, both mental and physical, makes them more vulnerable to the effects of climate change

woman and genders outside of the gender binary

Any compulsory, unrequited payment to the government levied on corporations or individuals. This can be for environmental reasons, such as introducing a Carbon tax to set a price that emitters must pay for the greenhouse gases they emit.

Activities of industries that extract natural resources, such as mining, oil, and gas, for commercial use.

Activities that involve planning, designing and building infrastructure, residential, and commercial structures.

This sector involves activities to move goods and people, alongside the storage of products.

This sector creates and distributes information and entertainment through television, radio, print, and digital platforms.

This sector involves activities that impart knowledge and skills to individuals, including formal schooling, vocational training and educational support.

Activities of government agencies and institutions that provide public services, enforce laws and manage public resources.

Activities of businesses and institutions that provide financial services and products to individuals and organisations.

Activities that involve the cultivation of crops and raising of livestock for food, fibre, and other products essential for human life and industry.

Activities that relate to the production of goods and services from forests.

This sector provides medical services, manufactures medical equipment, and develops pharmaceuticals to maintain and improve health.

Climate change can have a range of impacts on technological system. Extreme weather events can cause infrastructure failures like power outages or damage to roads and bridges, as well as the impacts from waste following natural disasters. Human activities also cause technological impacts, such as the risks posed by oil spillage and leaks.

Climate change impacts our society by disrupting the natural, economic and social systems we depend on. Physical hazards and underlying vulnerabilities can lead to increased resource competition for food and water, which can heighten the risk of conflict.

Slow onset events evolve gradually from incremental changes over many years or from increased frequency or intensity of recurring events. As defined in the Cancun Adaptation Framework (2010), slow onset events include risks and impacts from rising temperatures, desertification, biodiversity loss, land and forest degradation, glacial retreat, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and salinization.

Heavy precipitation refers to any form of weather where substances fall from the sky, including rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Ministério Público Federal v. IBAMA - petition

Target

Policy instrument

Risk

Impacted group

Just transition

Renewable energy

Fossil fuel

Greenhouse gas

Economic sector

Adaptation/resilience

Finance