Lula: ‘We are going to establish Climate Authority and Technical and Scientific Committee to support Federal Government actions”

On Wednesday, September 11, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva gave an interview to Rádio Norte FM to reaffirm his commitment to combating the drought and the effects of climate change. The previous day, he visited communities in the state of Amazonas that have been severely affected by intensive drought and announced a series of new investments during a meeting with local mayors.

During the interview to journalists Samira Benoliel and Valter Frota, Lula emphasized that the Federal Government is soon going to edit a Provisional Measure to create the legal statute of Climate Emergency. The measure aims to accelerate policies to address climate extremes through a Climate Authority and a scientific and technical committee.

“Our goal is to create the conditions to expand and accelerate public policies under the National Plan for Addressing Extreme Climate Risks. We must focus on adaptation and preparedness to counter this phenomenon. That’s why we are creating a Climate Authority and a Technical and Scientific Committee to support and coordinate the implementation of Federal Government actions together with state and local governments,” said Lula.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION – The President also highlighted the plan to launch an international police cooperation center under the coordination of the Brazilian Federal Police to combat organized crime in the Amazon region. “By the end of the year, we will have an international center for police cooperation under the coordination of the Federal Police. We are taking the Amazon issue very seriously because it is an immense territory where it is hard to work, and we must work together with the neighboring countries,” declared President Lula.

According to the President, the official aim is to increase the reach of the police to inhibit criminal action. “We must do Brazil's and the Federal Police's internal work in combating both organized crime and drug trafficking and, at the same time, establish partnerships with the governments of other countries so that we can work at the borders with more intensity,” explained Lula. 

Postagem no perfil do presidente Lula em rede social

BR-319 HIGHWAY – Also during the interview, Lula highlighted the resumption of the construction of the highway connecting Manaus to Porto Velho, in the state of Rondônia. The National Department of Transportation Infrastructure (Departamento Nacional de Infraestrutura de Transportes/DNIT) signed a contract agreement with LCM Construções for the construction work. “We signed a DNIT contract to begin building another 52 Kilometers that have been previously authorized. We will begin to build the first 20 Km and, in about 20 days, another 32 Km will be authorized. We are committed to resuming road construction and to not allowing land grabbing, not allowing people to burn on one side or the other or to set fires, because this area must be preserved,” he stressed.

Check out some sections of the President's responses:

LEGAL STATUTE – When I said that we are going to establish a Provisional Measure to create the Legal Statute of Climate Emergency and when I said we are going to establish a Climate Authority, this is because we want to address this issue differently. We want society — from the University to the favela, from the office with air conditioning to the factory ground — everyone to be committed to taking care of Planet Earth, to taking care of the ground where they live. Because the maintenance of the planet depends on us.

YANOMAMI LAND – We have a situation room in the city of Boa Vista (state of Roraima). We have representatives of over 10 ministers who spend their entire days in Boa Vista. We are trying to tackle a very difficult situation more efficiently. We have already destroyed 757 dredges and mining rafts there. All of this in 2023. And up until this month, 676 dredges and rafts in 2024. The Federal Police held 17 operations to combat illegal financing of mining activities, with arrests, search warrants, and blockage of resources that financed illegal mining. And there are 52 procedures currently open to investigate arson activity. We are doing what needs to be done. This is a moral commitment on the part of the government to put an end to organized crime and illegal mining in the Amazon and in Roraima.

FREE TRADE ZONE – People do not realize the importance of the Free Trade Zone for the state of Amazonas and for Brazil's Northern Region. I am thrilled because during our administration alone there has been an increase of 27,000 working posts. We need to promote the establishment of more clean industries in the Manaus Free Trade Zone, to generate the necessary incentives for that. We must realize that entrepreneurs who make investments want to do so in zones where there are markets, where there is consumption, where there is infrastructure, where there are means and conditions to sell and to make their products flow. The fact that the Free Trade Zone is producing and generating wealth for the state of Amazonas does not generate a problem for Brazil. 

COP 30 – Brazil will bring to the COP the credibility it has conquered in the world throughout these years. Since COP 15 in Copenhagen in 2009, Brazil has been a highlight at COP. What are we going to bring? I took on the commitment to reach zero deforestation by 2030 and it is important to remember that we reduced deforestation by 51% last year and by another 45% up until now. We are witnessing the wildfires in the Pantanal, where 85% of them are on private properties. The fires in the state of São Paulo were also on private properties. We will bring this commitment and, at the same time, we will pursue the accountability of what wealthy countries have promised since 2009: that they would establish a fund to help people living in forests survive with dignity.

WILDFIRES – When we see the fires and the drought, we are obviously concerned. We are saddened because we know the importance of the Amazon for maintaining not only Brazil's but the entire Earth's functioning. That is why we are concerned and I would like to use the microphones of Rádio Norte to convey the following: When we talk about preservation, many people start claiming that we are against development and that we do not want the state to grow. That is not true. What we want is to discuss how to grow without destroying what is beneficial to us. We do not need to destroy the air, pollute rivers, or burn forests in order to grow. What we are discussing is how we can develop in a civilized manner, ensuring that industry, employment, and income grow without destroying what benefits us.

FIREFIGHTING – I am very proud of the Brazilian firefighters. I went to see the fires in the Pantanal and honestly left there feeling proud of the work of the firefighters, who are mostly volunteers. I spoke to my Army commander, General Thomás, and told him that we could make use of the youth who will join the Army for Civil Defense, so that they are ready to face climate disasters. Since they will be dedicating one year to the Armed Forces, we should prepare these kids. There are 70,000 youth each year whom we can turn into professionals to combat the climate issue, to defend the planet, to defend the forest, to defend the water, to defend human life.