As Brazil prepares to host COP30, its Congress has passed a bill that would weaken environmental licensing, allowing projects such as mining and oil exploration to bypass impact assessments.

Dubbed the “Devastation Bill” by critics, it could accelerate Amazon deforestation and endanger Indigenous and Afro-Brazilian communities.

Human Rights Watch and over 350 civil society groups have called on President Lula to veto the measure, warning it undermines Brazil’s climate commitments and legal obligations.

Approving it would mark the country’s biggest environmental rollback in decades—and a blow to its credibility as a climate leader.

Source: HRW