Veto the bill that threatens people and the planet

On July 17, 2025, Brazil’s Congress passed the so-called “PL da Devastação” (Destruction Bill) with no public debate or transparency. This harmful bill would roll back key environmental protections, weaken oversight, and put human rights at serious risk.

We urge President Lula da Silva to veto this bill. It threatens the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, limits people’s access to information and justice, and undermines Indigenous rights and climate justice. The government must protect both people and the planet, not put them in greater danger.

Here’s what you can do:

Write to the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil urging him to:

• Fully veto the “PL da Devastação” to protect life, human rights, and the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.
• Uphold Brazil’s constitutional responsibility to safeguard human rights and environmental protections.
• Honor Brazil’s international human rights and environmental commitments, including those related to climate action.
• Demonstrate true climate leadership, especially as the host of the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), by rejecting this harmful bill that threatens human rights and climate justice.

Brazil’s “Devastation Bill” puts people and the planet at risk

On July 17, 2025, Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies passed the General Environmental Licensing Law (Bill PL 2159/2021), widely known as the “Devastation Bill.” It passed with 267 votes in favor and 115 against and now awaits a decision from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has the power to veto it.

The bill has strong backing from agribusiness and the oil and gas industries. However, it was approved without proper public debate or input from civil society. If it becomes law, it will severely weaken Brazil’s environmental licensing system, reduce oversight, and increase risks to human rights.

Key dangers in the bill

One of the most harmful elements is the expansion of the “License by Adhesion and Commitment.” This would allow most development projects, except those considered “high-impact”, to skip environmental and human rights assessments. Companies could receive automatic approvals simply by self-declaring compliance, with no review by responsible authorities.

The bill goes even further by removing licensing requirements entirely for some sectors, including agroforestry and livestock farming. These industries would only need to submit a simple form, with no technical review of their potential environmental damage.

It also introduces a “special environmental license” for so-called “strategic” government projects, such as oil extraction. These projects could be fast-tracked through a simplified process that avoids full impact assessments. Together, these changes strip away essential safeguards meant to protect communities and ecosystems.

These provisions directly threaten the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. This right is recognized by the UN, guaranteed under the San Salvador Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights (which Brazil has ratified), and protected by Article 225 of Brazil’s Constitution. The bill also weakens the public’s rights to information, participation, and access to justice.

Impacts on Indigenous and marginalized communities

The bill also limits protections for Indigenous Peoples and Quilombola communities. It restricts government review of projects to those affecting lands that are officially titled. But this ignores Brazil’s reality: about 80% of Quilombola territories and nearly one-third of Indigenous lands are still awaiting legal recognition.

This exclusion violates the rights of Indigenous Peoples guaranteed under international agreements like ILO Convention No. 169 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. UN human rights experts have already raised alarms about the threats this bill poses to human rights, especially for Indigenous communities.

More broadly, Brazil is facing serious human rights challenges. These include ongoing police violence, especially against Black youth, increased gender-based violence, and rising threats to land and environmental defenders. Most of these defenders come from Indigenous or Quilombola communities.

Although there has been progress in some areas, major gaps remain. Overcrowded prisons, lack of investment in social policies, and weak efforts to address past abuses under Brazil’s dictatorship continue to affect justice and equality.

Meanwhile, rising deforestation, repeated wildfires, and poor environmental enforcement are deepening the climate crisis and harming Indigenous livelihoods. Passing a law like the “Devastation Bill” would only make things worse.

Brazil must honor its human rights and environmental commitments—especially as it prepares to host the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (COP30). To lead on climate and justice, the country must reject regressive policies, strengthen democratic oversight, and protect the rights of its most vulnerable people.

Please take action as soon as possible until August 8, 2025. The UA will be duly updated should there be the need for further action.