The Brazilian Amazon Is Our Saviour: We're All in This Together!
Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Picture a blue and green disco ball...yes folks, I mean our world! Every breath we take is influenced by the Amazon; called the ‘lungs of the Earth’, the rainforest is crucial in absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen, helping regulate global climate patterns. What if we lost it? Extreme weather could become the norm, biodiversity could plummet, and climate change could accelerate. That’s where we’re heading if Amazonian deforestation continues. Brazil’s environmental laws are full of loopholes, and the Amazon is vulnerable. But we don’t have to sit back and watch it burn. Global actors—like the UK—can take charge, safeguarding the Amazon for generations to come.
Failures of Environmental Law
Policy Blunders
There has been a noticeable shift in Brazil’s policies over the last 20 years. In 2006, the Public Forest Management Law (Law 11,284/2006) decentralized enforcement of Amazon protection to underfunded local governments. Unsurprisingly, that didn’t work. In 2012, as we Brits cheered to the London Olympics, Brazil revised its Forest Code (Law 12,652/2012). Despite its name, this didn’t bring about the change you'd expect from a law designed to protect forests. The revisions provided for the pardoning of illegal deforestation that happened before 2008, and loosened land conservation requirements. Imagine a dentist warning against sugar…then hoovering down flapjacks! That’s what this law did, saying it’s okay to break the rules if there’s an economic advantage. The Rural Environmental Registry, meant to track land use, is also riddled with data issues and non-compliance, making it effectively non-existent.
Ineffective Enforcement
“But Ayush,” you say, “Brazil has some of the most advanced monitoring systems! DETER tracks deforestation in real-time, and agencies enforce the rules. The Public Forest Management Law (Law No 11,284/2006), enforced by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), has been a milestone. These agencies oversee conservation efforts and regulate public forest concessions with a focus on sustainable practices.” Well...yes, but these systems are severely underfunded. IBAMA’s budget was slashed by 59% in 2019 alone. While Brazil has tools to fight deforestation, without money, they’re useless. Money could turn the Amazon from a struggling ecosystem into a thriving one.
Global Trade Pressures
Amazonian deforestation isn’t a local, but a global issue. The beef and soy we eat, the palm oil in our cosmetics, all contribute to Amazonian destruction. Global demand for these products drives illegal logging and land grabbing. The Soy Moratorium, a key initiative, has prevented traders from buying soy from newly deforested Amazon areas since 2006. While clearly promising, the Soy Moratorium alone isn’t enough. Deforestation is moving to less regulated areas, making supply chains harder to trace. Without transparency, and despite the Moratorium, we can’t be sure if the soy in our grocery stores comes from deforested regions or not.
Innovative Solutions
Legal Reforms
First step? Fixing laws. Brazil must roll back amnesty provisions that let deforestation slide and tighten requirements for land conservation. Legal protections for indigenous communities, who are the land’s best stewards, need strengthening too. These communities have been shown time and time again to preserve ecosystems far better than outside actors. But don’t stop there—repeat offenders should also face serious consequences, like hefty fines or jail time. Stringent and enforced consequences could be the deterrent needed to make environmental laws matter again.
Leveraging Technology
Blockchain technology could be used to help track every step of a supply chain. AI-driven predictive tools merged with satellite monitoring could give law enforcement agencies like IBAMA what they need to detect illegal deforestation before it even happens. Imagine scanning a QR code on beef to check if its production contributed to the Amazon’s destruction. That world is within reach if we put resources into technology that tracks and traces our impact on the planet.
Grassroots Empowerment
Indigenous knowledge, combined with GPS mapping and drones, has already proven successful in protecting big areas of the Amazon. Programmes like the Voluntary Environmental Agents show the importance of community-led conservation efforts. These super-troopers are our eyes and ears on the ground, fighting the good fight against deforestation and encouraging sustainable practices. More funding for local communities means better Amazonian protection.
UK and Global Community
Sustainable Trade Practices and Consumer Advocacy
We Brits are uniquely responsible for driving change as major consumers of Amazonian products. The UK needs to demand zero-deforestation certifications for products like soy and beef. Let’s hold companies accountable by supporting businesses that prioritise sustainability and cutting ties with those that don’t. We can influence the global market by pushing for transparency in supply chains. Campaigns like "Mahogany is Murder", Greenpeace’s hard-hitting 90s exposé, revealed how illegal mahogany logging was devastating the Amazon and threatening Indigenous communities—all to make posh furniture. Their bold protests, from blocking shipments to confronting retailers, showed how consumer activism could force industries to clean up their act. Imagine if every beef burger you bought came with a guarantee that the Amazon wasn’t damaged to make it.
Diplomatic Leadership
The UK must use international forums to push for stronger environmental protections in Brazil and take the same initiative with the Brazilian Amazon as it has done with the Paris Climate Agreement. We can also support grassroots programmes and technologies, helping Brazil tackle deforestation from the bottom-up. International diplomacy would crucially drive both policy changes and funding for local conservation. Building on international frameworks such as the Paris Agreement, the UK has made notable — though still incomplete — strides in leading climate initiatives. While progress has been made, further action is needed to fully realise the Agreement’s ambitious goals.
Beyond formal agreements, the UK’s environmental leadership includes landmark efforts like the Climate Change Act 2008, participation in global climate strikes, and consistent advocacy for international carbon reduction targets.
The UK's Green Diplomacy in the Amazon
Successful environmental influence from global actors can be seen in the UK’s contributions to the Amazon Fund. In 2023, the UK committed £80 million to support Brazilian rainforest conservation. Furthermore, the UK has collaborated with Brazilian researchers on the Amazon+10 Initiative and engaged in the Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest finance (LEAF) Coalition to promote sustainable trade and deforestation reduction efforts. This demonstrates how international pressure, and financial incentives can drive stronger environmental policies—a strategy the UK should continue.
Closer to home, the QMLAC is committed to raising awareness of climate change issues as part of our commitment to social justice, having signed the Law Clinics’ Climate Justice Pledge and by taking part in the Clinics’ Global Day of Action for Climate Justice annually.
Call to Action
Protecting the Amazon isn’t just Brazil’s job. It’s everyone’s job. From putting money into new technologies to holding businesses accountable, and telling governments to push for stronger laws, we all have a role to play. If we don’t act now, we’ll lose the ‘lungs of the Earth’ and our chance to leave a liveable planet for future generations. Let’s take responsibility and fight for our Earth’s future before it’s too late. Protecting the Amazon is protecting ourselves — and time is running out.
By Ayush Mukherjee, Student Blog Writer at QMLAC and LLB Law Student.
This blog is for information only and does not constitute legal advice on any matter. While we always aim to ensure that information is correct at the date of posting, the legal position can change, and the blogs will not ordinarily be updated to reflect any subsequent relevant changes. Anyone seeking legal advice on the subject matter should contact a specialist legal representative.
References
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