Provisional Measure mobilizes emergency funds for climate crisis relief

On Wednesday, October 23, the Federal Government published Provisional Measure (Medida Provisória / MP) No. 1,268 in the Official Gazette (Diário Oficial da União / DOU), approving an extraordinary credit of BRL 938,458,061.00 (USD 164.3 million) for several ministries to tackle the climate emergency impacting multiple municipalities.

Signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Planning and Budget (Ministério do Planejamento e Orçamento / MPO), Gustavo José de Guimarães e Souza, the MP is now in effect. It will allocate funds to the Ministries of Justice and Public Security (Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública / MJSP), Health (Ministério da Saúde / MS), Environment and Climate Change (Ministério do Meio Ambiente e Mudança do Clima / MMA), Agrarian Development (Ministério do Desenvolvimento Agrário e Agricultura Familiar / MDA), Integration and Regional Development (Ministério da Integração e Desenvolvimento Regional / MIDR), Social Development and Assistance, Family, and Hunger Eradication (Ministério do Desenvolvimento e Assistência Social, Família e Combate à Fome / MDS), and Fisheries and Aquaculture (Ministério da Pesca e Aquicultura / MPA).

Under this regulatory act, the ministries will immediately initiate measures to mitigate adverse impacts on biomes and assist affected communities. The situation poses a serious threat to local biodiversity, disrupts transportation and energy distribution systems, hinders land, river, and air travel, and exposes people to air pollutants and gas emissions from biomass burning and wildfires.

The initiatives also include measures to enhance public security, support agrarian reform, regulate Quilombola territories and traditional communities, improve Indigenous health services, implement civil defense measures, ensure access to drinking water and food production, and assist artisanal fishermen and fisherwomen.

According to the MP, the ministries will implement the following actions:

Ministry of Justice and Public Security: Funds will be allocated to the National Fund for Public Security (Fundo Nacional de Segurança Pública / FNSP) to support operations by the National Public Security Secretariat (Secretaria Nacional de Segurança Pública / SENASP) and strengthen integrated public security efforts. These initiatives are critical for protecting flora and fauna and safeguarding people and property in the Amazon and Pantanal biomes.

Ministry of Health: The allocation of resources will be directed to the National Health Fund (Fundo Nacional de Saúde / FNS) to cover costs related to basic supplies and healthcare services, including specialized outpatient and hospital care. This encompasses sourcing materials, equipment maintenance, educational initiatives, and enhanced access to drinking water in eight Indigenous Special Health Districts (Distritos Sanitários Especiais Indígenas / DSEIs) through the acquisition of water containers and clay water filters. Furthermore, the funds will support improvements in environmental health surveillance, occupational health, healthcare, and climate monitoring, as well as the availability of basic medicines.

Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change: The funds will support the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade / ICMBio) by leasing aircraft, training and equipping inspection teams, hiring specialized professionals, and acquiring protective gear, armaments, and technologies to enhance the monitoring of fire-prone areas.

Ministry of Agrarian Development: The credit allocated to the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Instituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária / INCRA) will be used to mitigate and prevent fires in agrarian reform settlements within the Amazon region. This will include protecting settlement areas, ensuring the safety of families, and preserving the environment in alignment with the objectives of the National Agrarian Reform Program (Programa Nacional de Reforma Agrária / PNRA) and the Federal Government's environmental preservation goals.

Ministry of Integration and Regional Development: The ministry will be responsible for civil defense operations, including response and recovery activities in municipalities affected by droughts, prolonged dry spells, and wildfires.

Ministry of Social Development and  Assistance, Family, and Hunger Eradication: Under the direct management of the Ministry, the funds are used for budget action 8948, which supports the "Implementation of social technologies for access to water for human consumption and food production in rural areas" ("Implementação de Tecnologias Sociais de Acesso à Água para Consumo Humano e Produção de Alimentos na Zona Rural").

In this context, the Cisterns Programme (Programa Cisternas) is a viable strategy for adapting to climate emergencies. It aims to improve access to water for human consumption and food production through simple, low-cost social technologies that are easy for beneficiaries to adopt. The initiative targets low-income rural families (with a per capita income of up to half the minimum wage) and rural public infrastructure affected by drought or water scarcity, with priority given to traditional communities.

Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture: The resources will be allocated to make exceptional payments in assistance to professional artisanal fishermen and fisherwomen in the Northern Region who are beneficiaries of the Unemployment Insurance for Artisanal Fishermen, otherwise known as Seguro-Defeso, per Article 1 of Law No. 10,779, dated 25 November 2003.

The exceptional payment will be provided to registered beneficiaries in municipalities declared to be in a state of emergency due to drought or prolonged dry spells, as recognized by the Federal Executive branch, until the publication date of MP No. 1,263 on 7 October 2024.