President Lula signs Pact for Ecological Transformation between Three Branches of Government

The President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the presidents of the Federal Senate (Rodrigo Pacheco), the Chamber of Deputies (Arthur Lira) and the Federal Supreme Court (Luís Roberto Barroso) signed the Pact for Ecological Transformation between the Three Powers of the Brazilian State on Wednesday, August 21. The signing took place during a ceremony held in the Noble Hall of Planalto Palace.

By uniting our forces around this common goal, we are sending a clear message to the world: Brazil is ready to take a leading global role in addressing the climate crisis”

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of the Republic

» Speech read by President Lula (available in Portuguese)

“By uniting our forces around this common goal, we are sending a clear message to the world: Brazil is ready to take a leading global role in addressing the climate crisis,” said Lula. “A leading role that is reflected in the presidency of the G20, when we chose as our theme the construction of a just world and a sustainable planet, which we demonstrate in every participation in the main world forums, and which we have strengthened with the selection of Belém as the venue for COP30 in 2025,” he added.

Lula emphasized that the Pact creates a new framework for the country, with ecological sustainability, economic development and social and climate justice as central pillars of public policy. He stated that the commitments made range from prioritizing environmental legislation to accelerating land use planning, transitioning to a low-carbon economy and encouraging economic activities that generate quality jobs while respecting biome preservation.

“We must remember that the climate agenda is not a cost. It not only ensures the survival of the planet and humanity, but it also creates opportunities, jobs, and income. This comprehensive view of development is inextricably linked to the critical role of public investment. Whether in the sustainable fuels industry or the New PAC projects, which include at least 20 low-carbon fuel projects,” said Lula.

In his speech, the president also recalled that the Federal Government had launched the National Bioeconomy Strategy, which combines environmental protection with job and income generation, social inclusion and the promotion of science, technology and innovation; as well as Mover, a Green Mobility and Innovation Program, which expands the sustainability requirements of the automotive fleet.

COMMITMENT - At the ceremony, Rodrigo Pacheco said that the Pact for Ecological Transformation seals a fundamental commitment that incorporates a more sustainable development model. “The new model represents a true change in thinking in public policy formulation by incorporating respect and appreciation for the environment. In this regard, we have the opportunity to focus on new forms of production that can generate development in a neutral way, forms of production that do not aggravate the greenhouse effect and burden the environment, that do not promote river pollution, natural resource depletion, and forest clearing,” he said.

ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP - Luís Roberto Barroso stressed that global warming is not a problem for future generations, but for the current one, as it already affects the global population. In the context of this challenge, he said that Brazil is in a position to be one of the world's great environmental leaders. Barroso also commented on the measures set out in the Pact: “From the Executive's perspective, it entails mapping and registering public and private areas for monitoring, including deforestation and illegal occupation. From a legislative standpoint, two frameworks have been developed: the carbon market and the framework for offshore wind energy production. And within the Judiciary, we are going to prioritize environmental and land actions, as well as develop a major decarbonization program for the Judiciary”.

STRATEGIC VISION - Arthur Lira, on the other hand, emphasized that the Pact can be understood as the manifestation of a strategic vision that is essential for an effective response to the serious and urgent problems confronting humanity. “This vision has already been spontaneously demonstrated by the Brazilian people. Since extreme weather events, such as the recent catastrophe in Rio Grande do Sul, citizens and organizations have spontaneously mobilized, together with government authorities, to provide aid to all the victims. Society is thus showing that environmental problems are collective problems. We must all work together to tackle them and, more importantly, to prevent them,” he said.

The five main measures of the Pact for Ecological Transformation are:

• The Executive Branch will expand financing and reduce the cost of credit for sustainable sectors, projects and practices.
• The Legislative Branch will prioritize bills related to the pact's themes, such as the approval of the legal framework for the carbon market, offshore wind energy production and biofuels.
• The Judiciary will adopt measures to speed up judicial demands involving environmental, land and climate issues, including the definition of targets and protocols by the National Council of Justice.
• The Executive and Judiciary branches will jointly integrate real estate, environmental, cadastral and tax databases, with georeferenced data, to guarantee legal certainty about the ownership of public and private land in the country and unlock investments.
• The Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches will adopt management measures to reduce the direct impacts of their activities on the environment, such as sustainable bidding, reducing demand for natural resources, energy efficiency and proper waste disposal.

PARTICIPATION - The Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silva, was also present at the ceremony. She emphasized that ecological transformation goes beyond environmental preservation and requires the participation of the entire society, not just public authorities. “It is the responsibility of all individuals, businesses, and the productive sector, in cities, the countryside, and the forests. Ecological transformation is a shift in economic, technological, and cultural paradigms in favor of development based on healthy relationships with nature and its biomes, indigenous peoples, and traditional communities, in order to enable the generation of wealth and its fair and shared distribution, with improved quality of life for present and future generations,” she explained.

ECOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATION - Ecological transformation is a shift in economic, technological and cultural paradigms in favor of development — based on sustainable relationships with nature and its biomes — with the goal of generating wealth and distributing it fairly and evenly, thereby improving the quality of life for current and future generations.

CHARACTERISTICS - The objectives of the Pact for Ecological Transformation between the Three Powers are: 

1.         Ecological sustainability: protection of the natural heritage of all the country's biomes, promotion of the regeneration of biodiversity, reduction and fight against illegal deforestation, encouragement of the ecological restoration of degraded and deforested areas, promotion of sustainable cities, reduction of the environmental impact of productive activities and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors of the economy; 

2.         Sustainable economic development: creation and dissemination of technological innovations in production processes to achieve productivity gains and generate quality jobs, with a focus on adopting a circular economy model, sustainable use of natural resources from an environmental and social perspective, encouraging new economies of nature and the bioeconomy and investment in renewable energy sources with the aim of universalizing their use;

3.         Social, environmental and climate justice: reduction of inequalities and more equitable distribution of the benefits of economic progress, as well as prevention, mitigation, adaptation, preparedness, response and recovery measures aimed at civil protection and defense against the impact of climate change on the lives of the population and other forms of life, especially the most vulnerable communities and regions;

4.         Consideration of the rights of children and future generations: integration, at all stages of the formulation and implementation of public policies and in any measures of the Three Branches of the rights and interests of children and future generations, based on the incorporation of science and impact assessments that consider the well-being of present and future generations;

5.         Resilience to extreme weather events: implementation of comprehensive risk prevention, adaptation and mitigation strategies, preparedness, warning systems and management.

AXES - The actions are divided into three axes: territorial and land use planning (Axis I), energy transition (Axis II) and sustainable development with social, environmental and climate justice (Axis III). There are 26 measures detailed in the annex and there is provision for a joint management committee, which will be responsible for monitoring the implementation of each of the actions.