The Access Initiative

Brazil

1.80

Environmental Democracy Index Score

Brazil scored very well on the Transparency pillar, well on the Justice pillar, and fair on the Participation pillar. For the Transparency pillar, Brazilian law establishes a right to access environmental information on request and requires government authorities to proactively make environmental information available to the public. Brazil scored fair in the Participation pillar because the public is provided with opportunities to participate in projects affecting the environment and at an early stage in the decision making process. However, state agencies are not required to incorporate public comments in environmental decisions. As for the Justice pillar, the law grants the public the right to challenge government and private-actor decisions that infringe on environmental rights. Brazil’s national laws provide strong transparency and access to justice protections; however, public participation rights have not been legislated to the same degree. By addressing these gaps, Brazil can continue to promote environmental democracy.

Visit the Environmental Democracy Index to explore the EDI score.

The TAI members in Brazil have focused many of their recent efforts on discussing and disseminating information about the environmental democracy challenges in Brazil including using Brazil’s  Law on the right to Information. The Brazil Coalition is also supporting advocacy on the Regional Latin America and the Caribbean Principle 10 process.

Article 19, a member of the Brazil coalition, works with activists to develop and promote policies that protect freedom of information and freedom of expression. They train the media to actively demand for government transparency and accountability and works on the implementation of Brazil’s access to information law. Article 19 also works to empower local communities to demand access to information about water and seeks to hold the government accountable for large infrastructure and other expenditure due to the World Cup and Olympics.The Original TAI coalition in Brazil carried out an assessment in 2005. New organizations and individuals have joined TAI in 2014, and they are increasingly engaging around the Principle 10 process in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the results of the Environmental Democracy Index in Brazil.