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In November 2025, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office filed a Public Civil Action, with a request for preliminary injunction, against the Federal Government, the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), the State of Minas Gerais, the State of Bahia, the State Environmental Foundation (FEAM), the State Forestry Institute (IEF), the Minas Gerais Water Management Institute (IGAM), and the Institute of Environment and Water Resources (INEMA). Through the lawsuit, Plaintiff seeks to enable the restructuring of these environmental agencies with regard to the mismatch between the development of economic activities in the region of the Grande Sertão Veredas National Park (PNGSV) and the protection of this federal conservation unit, whose extension covers areas of Minas Gerais and Bahia. 

Plaintiff argues that excessive water use for agricultural irrigation and deforestation around the PNGSV affect the water availability of the Cariranha River basin, further exacerbating the climate crisis. It argues that the defendant environmental agencies adopt outdated and non-integrated methodologies—disregarding seasonality, the effects of climate change, and changes in land use—both in relation to water-use permits and to the suppression of native vegetation. The complaint highlights the role of the veredas (wetlands) in the hydrodynamics of the Cerrado biome, acting as natural springs and regulators of the water regime. 

Plaintiff requests an injunction suspending the water resource permits and suppressing native vegetation until the criteria and procedures adopted by the competent environmental agencies are reviewed. On the merits, it requests: i) the recognition and definition of the structural problem consisting of the damage caused to the PNGSV (São Francisco River Basin National Park), in addition to the elaboration of a Regional Structural Plan in collaboration with the Regional Committee of the São Francisco River Basin; ii) measures to update and integrate environmental and water management; iii) incorporate climate assessment into the procedures for granting permits and authorizing vegetation suppression.

In June, 2025,  Mônica dos Santos and Mauro Marcos da Silva filed a Citizen Suit (APop) with a request for urgent relief against Samarco Mineração SA, the State of Minas Gerais, and the National Mining Agency (ANM), due to the granting of an environmental license to the so-called ""Long-Term Project,"" aimed at expanding mining activities in the Germano Complex, in the municipalities of Mariana and Ouro Preto/MG. It is argued that the project presents a high potential for harm to the environment and to the communities of Bento Rodrigues and Camargos, already affected by the collapse of the Fundão Dam in 2015. It is alleged that the Environmental Impact Study and Report (EIA/RIMA) contains flaws, notably the lack of adequate analysis of the risks arising from extreme weather events and climate change, as well as the provision for tailings dams near communities and the use of techniques considered outdated and unsafe. It is alleged that the environmental licensing process, conducted by the State Environmental Foundation (FEAM) and the State Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainable Development (SEMAD), failed to observe the principles of prevention and precaution by not requiring more rigorous technical studies and safer technological alternatives. The plaintiff requests, as a preliminary measure, that the defendants be ordered to (a) refrain from authorizing the project i) with a structure for disposing of wet tailings in artificial reservoirs, ii) until an Environmental Impact Study is presented that includes safe areas respecting the attributes of the Iron-Bearing Aquifer Quadrilateral, iii) with the proposal to install waste and tailings piles near the communities of Bento Rodrigues and Camargo; (b) not grant an environmental license to the defendant Samarco SA until environmental impact studies are carried out that consider climate change and extreme events in areas affected by mining, applying the best techniques and alternatives. On the merits, it requests that the action be deemed admissible, confirming the requests made in the preliminary injunction, especially to create an obligation to refrain from granting an environmental license to the defendant Samarco SA, i) if the project does not use only the dry disposal technique for waste rock and tailings, ii) if an environmental impact study is not presented to implement a progressive landfill plan, iii) to prevent the installation of waste rock and tailings piles near the communities of Bento Rodrigues and Camargos, iv) if environmental impact studies are not carried out and presented that consider climate change and extreme events in relation to the safety of the communities.

In an interlocutory decision, the Court partially granted the injunction to suspend the effects of the environmental license granted to Samarco's ""Long-Term Project"" and ordered the halt of implementation actions until the presentation of complementary environmental studies, without, however, imposing specific techniques or immediately prohibiting certain structures foreseen in the project. In its decision, the court acknowledged that the absence of a specific analysis of future scenarios prevents the licensing body from determining whether the presented project is, in fact, the least harmful alternative in the context of an internationally recognized climate crisis, with express mention of Advisory Opinion (OC) 32/2025 of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

On February 7, 2022, Duda Salabert Rosa filed a preventive Citizen Suit with a request for a preliminary injunction against the state of Minas Gerais, Taquaril Mineração S/A and Vale S/A - later excluded from the parties - due to the omission to analyze the worsening of extreme weather events within the environmental licensing process of mining projects in the state of Minas Gerais. The plaintiff alleges that the exploitation of minerals in the state is being affected by extreme atmospheric phenomena, a situation neglected by the federative entity. It is pointed out that the negligence regarding the climate issue resulted in the flooding of the Downstream Containment Structure (ECJ) dam built by Vale S/A in the Municipality of São Sebastião das Águas Claras after heavy rains, flooding roads in the region, leaving the district without access to water, electricity, transportation, garbage removal and other essential services. The author indicates that the project was not preceded by an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) or due environmental licensing. The plaintiff emphasizes that the company is unable to measure the impacts of a possible dam failure if the ECJ reservoir is overflowing with water and tailings. It is affirmed that it is therefore necessary to review the hydraulic modeling for this type of project through a corrective environmental licensing process. Still regarding Vale S/A, it is required the stoppage of the Apolo Project, since the studies presented in the scope of its environmental licensing processes would not have analyzed the influence of the intensification of extreme climatic events on the operation of the activity. The environmental licensing process for the Serra do Taquaril Mining Complex, managed by Mineração Taquaril S/A, is also to be halted, considering that the effects of climate change on the project have not been assessed. According to the EIA, due to the Complex, sediment containment basins will be built, which, if they break, will directly impact a water intake pipeline, affecting the supply of 70% of the local population. The plaintiff argues that the National Policy on Climate Change and the State Policy for Preventing and Combating Disasters Resulting from Heavy Rainfall should guide environmental licensing in the State of Minas Gerais, in order to include the climate variable in the procedure, following a decision issued by the 9th Federal Court of Porto Alegre, which determined the inclusion of climate guidelines in the Terms of Thermoelectric Power Plants in Rio Grande do Sul State. It is required that the environmental licensing of the Serra do Taquaril Complex and the Apolo Project must be suspended and the corrective licensing of the JTC must be immediately initiated.
In its reply, Vale S/A informed that the Apolo Project was at a preliminary stage, still under analysis by the competent environmental agency, so as not to represent danger to the environment. It informed that ECJ would already be going through a corrective licensing phase before the competent environmental agency, which is why there was no interest in acting by the plaintiff. It defended the existence of an impossible passive joinder of defendants, since there would be no relationship between the defendants or affinity between the requests made against each defendant. Subsequently, the plaintiff requested an amendment to the initial application, in order to exclude Vale S/A from the defendant's position. In August 2022, a partial judgment was rendered that extinguished the claim against Vale S/A. Afterwards, the court dismissed the action, without resolution of the merits, for inadequacy of the chosen path. It was understood that the Citizen Suit is not an appropriate procedural means for the demand sought.

 In July 2019, Brazil’s Attorney-General’s Office (“Advocacia-Geral da União”), representing the Federal Environment Agency (“IBAMA”), filed a public civil action (environmental class-action) against a steel company (Siderúrgica São Luiz Ltda.) and its managing partner (Mr. Martins), for environmental and climate damages allegedly caused by the company’s continuous and fraudulent use of illegally sourced coal in its units in the State of Minas Gerais. 

According to IBAMA, the company falsified the 'certificates of origin’ for the coal it purchased. IBAMA claims that the company purchased and burned 44,636 cubic meters of coal, fomenting a scheme of illegal deforestation for coal production. 

Highlighting the key role of steel production in the 'life cycle’ of coal, IBAMA contends that the defendants should be held strictly and jointly liable for the (i) environmental damages resulting from the illegal deforestation (equivalent to an area of approximately 2,231 football fields), and (ii) climate damages resulting from the greenhouse gases emitted from the illegal deforestation, from the conversion of the illegally sourced biomass into coal, and from burning the illegally sourced coal in its steel production.

Based on the National Environmental Policy and National Climate Change Policy (Laws Nos. 6,938/1981 and 12,187/2009, respectively), IBAMA seeks remedies for both environmental and climate damage allegedly caused by the defendants: (i) reforestation of an equivalent area; (ii) compensation for interim and residual environmental damages; (iii) compensation for climate damages based on the social cost of carbon, which should be invested into the creation of carbon sinks; (iv) collective moral damages, to be valued according to the defendants’ profits from their illegal activities (disgorgement of profits); (v) undertaking of environmental compliance programmes; (vi) unavailability of goods and values as well as loss or restriction of tax benefits and incentives, and loss or suspension of participation in financing lines in official credit establishments.

On February 3, 2021, the magistrate issued a decision rejecting the request for an injunction for the implementation of the environmental integrity program by the steel company and for the suspension of tax incentives or benefits, on the grounds that there is no legal provision imposing the need for the environmental integrity by companies that explore activities potentially harmful to the environment. The decision also states that even in the face of strong evidence that the company committed environmental violations in 2012, it is not possible to impose the requests made by the plaintiff, because it is not known whether the company continues to practice the same acts. In addition, the judge also did not accept the request for blocking or unavailability of assets in the amount of BRL 16,000,000.00 from the company to repair environmental damage, on the understanding that even if there is a causal link as to the company's participation in environmental infractions as a result of the records drawn up by IBAMA, the current moment requires a greater incursion of evidence of the damage caused by the steel company.

On March 2, 2021, the competent judge issued another decision, rejecting the motions for clarification of both parties, on the grounds of the presence of defects and irregularities in the documents.

On October 5, 2022, Geraldo and GMM Participações submitted their defense, in which they argued that there was no proof of environmental damage and the causal link, that the claim for damages for residual damage was generic, that there were no internal rules for the use of the Social Cost of Carbon and, therefore, requested that the action be dismissed and that the request for a reversal of the burden of proof be rejected.

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